My Daughter's Story - a mommy's perspective

It was January of 2015. Time to Revive was in town and Derek was ALL in. He'll tell you that he doesn't know why exactly except that he didn't want to miss out on what felt like something HUGE.

And he was right. It was HUGE.

The hugest part for us started during the prayer week of ReviveINDIANA.

Marie was having a massive angry tantrum. She had been sent to her room to finish it out there. But she just wasn't calming down. It was very unsettling.

Derek finally went in and climbed into bed with her. And started praying.

I wasn't in there. I didn't hear his prayer. I was busy distracting myself from her screams. But the tantrum finally subsided.

As Derek prayed, he said her angry screams turned to sad sobs. Something changed. Something clicked. Something was happening.

A few days later at breakfast, I was reading the Bible per our usual routine. Marie interrupted and declared,

"I believe in Jesus!"

I'll be honest, I didn't think much of it. She had always claimed to believe.

Every day of my kids' lives I have prayed for their salvation. My prayers for Marie were becoming more and more... well, desperate. There was a growing urgency.

But after this particular morning when she "confessed with her mouth that Jesus is Lord," (Romans 10:9) the sense of urgency disappeared.

Over the next several months, Derek and I both were noticing fruit in her life. She wanted to grow and change. She wanted to please Jesus. She wanted to share Jesus with everyone! And her prayers... oh the power of her prayers! She is a Spirit-led prayer warrior!

In October we were reading her devotions together:

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved. Mark 16:16

She stopped and said,

"Mom, I need to get bathtized." 

I'll be honest, I didn't think much of it.

But she wouldn't let it go. She was excited about it! She told anyone who would listen that she was going to get bathtized. She even wrote a note to Pastor Phil in Sunday School.

I was hesitant because we had never sat down and "prayed the prayer." It bothered me that she didn't have that story that you would expect a 7 year old to have about coming to mommy and daddy and asking Jesus into her heart. But there was no denying, Jesus lives in that girl's heart. So on October 23, 2015 at the breakfast table, we "prayed the prayer" and wrote the date down in her Bible so she could have a date to refer to. But really, her name was written with blood in the Lamb's Book of Life way back in January.

On December 27, 2015, my Sweet Baby Girl was baptized (along side of me!). When asked if she thought she needed to be baptized to be saved she said, "No,

"I'm already saved!"

Faith of a child. Obedience of a Spirit-led Believer.

Marie Love,

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. Matthew 28:19-20