Chapter Nine – God Calls Us to Know Him & Love Him
- Rosetta Mandisa
- Jul 16, 2015
- 3 min read
Revelations 2:5 ~ Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first…
Whenever I read a book like this I always try to find something in my life to connect my learning to. I think it would be such a waste of time to do all of this reading and studying if I don’t find a way to connect and grow from it. I was really able to connect to this chapter in the book because it made me remember all that I had done in years past to really build a relationship with God. Prior to becoming an adult and taking responsibility for my relationship with God, I was baptized at around nine years old. I remember that baptism at Rose Olivet Missionary Baptist Church in San Francisco, California. I didn’t really understand it but I do remember it. It wasn’t until I got older and started trying to “figure out” my life that began to grow in my knowledge of God that it took a little bit more than a dip in a baptismal pool to be in a true relationship with God.
When I moved to Tampa back in 2001 I met this wonderful lady who listened to my struggles and then did something no one else had…she opened up her bible and began to read it to me. She prayed with me and helped me to actually study the word of God. I was in awe. Nothing like this had ever happened to me before and I will forever be grateful to my dear friend for setting me on a path of discovering what it means to have a relationship with God. A few months later just after my 28th birthday, that beautiful lady, Denise and our friend Jasmine along with the pastors at our church baptized me again. It was such a great night. Even now, when I look at the pictures, I am reminded of how great I felt that night.
Many times during our fight to stay strong through the hard times we already know what we should do but because we feel a certain way we just don’t do it. (I am so guilty of that.) There are times, even before trouble strikes we know we should have made a different choice but because we felt a certain way we don’t do what we know is right but what feels good at the moment. So, here we sit in the midst of the swirling storm wondering, “how did I get here?”
We all know that old saying that even after years of being together, couples should continue to date and do some of same things they did prior to marriage and kids in order to keep their bond strong. I feel strongly that I can use this same wisdom to better connect to my relationship with God. The same things I did way back in 2001 to build a relationship with Him are the same things I need to continue doing now. Not everyday will be perfect and after the few weeks I’ve just had with the death of my mother and brother I can honestly say that I was definitely feeling some type of way. What kept me going was the wealth of knowledge, studying and praying I had done during the good times that gave me strength when the bad times came along. Building a relationship with God doesn’t stop at baptism. It may change from time to time but it doesn’t stop.
Getting back to the basics…:)
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