Faith Like That

Ryan and I went to Louisville this past weekend to see his sister for her birthday. Sunday morning we went to church with the family, a church I enjoy attending. It’s quite a large church, so the service is usually well planned out. Most Sundays they have a baptism and this Sunday was no different. Several children were baptized by their parents, and one older gentleman by one of the pastors of the church. The last person to be baptized was a younger guy, probably 21 or so, most likely a college student. He looked like the cool guy – attractive, probably athletic, popular - the guy all the girls would like. Someone who appeared to have it all together. Someone with a life, a good one. An enviable one. Someone others would follow and mimic. A friend of his father’s baptized the young man. This friend spoke about how he knew this young man, how he had gone to college with his father, how this moment was special for him. For them both. Cool Guy looked down into the water, emotional, like he was concentrating on keeping it together. After coming up out of the water, he clung to his father’s friend well after the attention of the service was focused on other things. The spotlight went out and the music began to play and the multitude was directed to the center stage to sing and move on. But I watched this scene in the baptismal. This young man, clinging to his friend, moved by this experience. Stirred up. Changed. Cool Guy showed his emotion in front of thousands. His new found faith, shaking him to the core.

I want a faith like that.