David's Baptism

This past Sunday was a very very special day for my family as we watched my brother David get baptized on our family farm in Pennsylvania. Baptism alone is much to be celebrated, but to understand the depth of just how meaningful this day was to us, you would need to understand David's story. If interested, you can read my mom's perspective here. But today on my blog, I wanted to share the challenge I spoke over David and maybe you yourself will find encouragement in my words.

(My Dad shared a bit of David's story and thanked all of the key people who played a role in David's life thus far.)

< “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” This is one of my favorite quotes from one of the most brilliant minds this Earth has seen thus far, Albert Einstein.

(One sibling from each couple shared some words for David, my brother Ben read
David's testimony and then my brother Chris shared a bit about why we do baptisms)
There are many many stories I could share. Some that make me laugh still to this day, others that stir emotion, but when I sat down to write my thoughts for this very special day, one story became more highlighted than all the others. I am not sure you would even remember it.

It was back when both of us were living at home, here on the farm. I don’t really remember what led to this moment, but I remember turning the corner to walk up the stairs and you were just sitting on the top step crying. Now, we all know that you are a very contemplative soul, but this moment was unlike the rest for me as your sister. You were asking out loud for both myself and God to hear just why you were created the way you were. You couldn’t understand why God wouldn’t just take away the disabilities and take away the pain.

(My brother Chris and my Dad baptized David in our pond.)
I know that is a question we all have asked God on your behalf, but when I think about it, what it would really look like for God to take all that away, I feel like I would lose my brother. I feel like I would loose David.

I think we can all agree that there have been moments in our lives where we compare what we have to others who may have something better, or at least seemingly better. I do that in my own life, more than I would like. This is why I share this quote. It may not be straight from the mouth of God, but it is from the mouth of someone God created. And that man that God created was considered both a Genius and an outcast.

David, sometimes you may be tempted (like that one day I just shared about) to feel like an outcast for the way your mind works, but God has created you for a very specific purpose and in the likeness of Himself. You reveal a side of God that many others simply can not. Aside from your incredible humor that has the ability to make us all laugh hysterically, you have something that I am absolutely fascinated by. You have such a depth of creativity in you that is something I am always hoping to find in a good book or a movie. I love how God reveals Himself to you through that as well. Hearing your testimony earlier this week, and the moments that led you to accept Christ, I just had this image of God absolutely basking in that moment where He got to spend time with you, his son, thinking about science fiction and Star wars. That he used the very thing you love to draw you closer to Him. That creativity comes from God.

David, you are who you are because God wanted to display a part of Himself in you. And like my favorite quote says, if you believe you ought to be someone who God never intended you to be, then you will spend your whole life thinking you are stupid, when really you are a genius in your own way because God wants his Glory, His creativity, to be revealed for all to see. You yourself are a work of art, David.

Dustin would have loved to be here today as we praise God for all He has done through your life, so I speak for both of us when I say that as you rise from those waters today David, our hope and challenge to you is that you allow those tangles of comparison to fall by the wayside, and walk proudly, displaying who God created you to be; a reflection of Him. Go and share that love you have received from God, whether it be at your job, at home with your housemate, or when you are creatively expressing yourself through art and the world of science fiction. We love you and are so proud of you, David! >

In classic David format, as soon as he came up on the shore, he raised his arms as Petra's "Beyond Belief" played in the background and shouted "Let's celebrate". And thats exactly what we did! ♥, mK