“You’ve grown up in the church. You’re a pastor’s son, and you know it all. So why haven’t you been baptized?” During his teen years, Stephen heard these types of comments on a regular basis from well meaning individuals.

“So, why have I waited till now, at the age of 20?” posed Stephen in the testimony he gave prior to his baptism. “Well, here’s why: I have always believed that baptism is more than just ‘knowing it all.’ It is far more than knowing what the Bible has to say and responding with ‘yes’ and ‘I agree’ to the appropriate questions while having Bible studies. It is more than knowing the doctrines of the church.

“For me, what baptism truly meant was letting go. Letting go of control in my life, stepping back and saying to God, ‘Okay, now I want You to lead me.’ It was giving up self. And truthfully, it would have been a lie to have taken this step before now. Self is probably one of the hardest things to let go of.

“It has not been easy coming to this point. Excuses always seemed to come up. Timing was wrong, location was wrong, the world seemed more attractive, or the age-old excuse ‘maybe later.’ But God has been good to me. He has taken me around the world, and it has taken till now for me to realize that ‘all the way, my Savior has, and will forever lead me.’”

There was great rejoicing in our family, the church family and heaven as Graham baptized Stephen on December 29. Please keep Stephen in your prayers. As he said during his testimony, “I know I’m not even close to being ‘there’ yet. But my heart and my head are finally in agreement and saying to God ‘here I am, send me where you want me to go.’”

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