On June 30, 2019, our Riley was baptized by Dave and confirmed and given the gift of the Holy Ghost by Grandpa Mike. We've been studying as a family all about baptism and the commitment involved and boy was she excited to take this step.
Here is the talk I sort of gave before she was baptized, but not really in full since I totally lost composure during my talk, and then Riley got up and walked away in the middle of it (to retrieve her journal to take notes in, but at the time, I thought she just got bored). And then I knocked a picture off the podium and basically got all kinds of flustered. Her actually baptism went off without a hitch, so that's good. And many thanks to my friend Selena Davis, who took the these pictures for us to remember the day by.
Dear Riley,
We are so proud of you and your desire at a young age to follow Jesus. As I've thought about this important even in your life, there has been a picture of you in my mind, standing in the water of baptism, the ripples fanning out around you, softly at first, and then splashing out as your dad dips you back into the water, just as when Christ himself was baptized many many years ago.
Let's talk about ripples for a moment. When we're at the lake, throwing in rocks, as we often do, some rocks, the small ones, will fall into the water with only a small disturbance, just a slight splash and a ripple or two before it disappears to the bottom. Other ones, those big boulders that we lug into the lake, those rocks can cause a huge disturbance. Their splash zone might extend for a few yards, possibly drenching your brothers and sister, and the ripples from those will fan out way into the lake, causing water plants to bob and rock, frogs to jump and the birds to take flight.
If your decisions in life were rocks being tossed into the lake, your decision to be baptized would be one of the biggest boulders you could lift. Few decisions you make will have as great a ripple-effect on your life as the decision you are making today to be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost. The ordinance itself is simple and brief, but the commitment you are making to follow Jesus Christ will be a blessing to you every day for the rest of your life. It will color the way you interact with others of God's children, it will help you navigate choices that will lead you either closer to God or farther from Him. As a disciple of christ, you will "stand as a witness of God at all times and in all things...serve Him and keep his commandments, that he may pour His Spirit more abundantly upon you. " (Mosiah 18: 8-9).
Remember that, Riley: Heavenly Father wants to pour His spirit upon you, that guiding, strengthening power that will aid you on your life's journey, as you strive to honor your baptismal covenants.
Mistakes will be made as part of your learning process, just like every other person in this room. You will learn about repentance and the healing power of the atonement. You will have the opportunity to renew your baptismal covenant every week when we take the sacrament, to mean it again when you say, "always remember Him."
My testimony to you: The Savior's power is real. Not just when we die and are resurrected, but in every single day, with all it's obstacles and choices, heart aches and mistakes. His power will heal and guide you through as you try to follow him. Never hesitate to call on him - his love for you is boundless.
