Dr. Tiffany Ofili Porter

A few weeks ago while our family was in Michigan, we decided to baptize our son with our family and friends present. As Catholic Christians, this is a very important sacrament in our faith and I’m very grateful that our son was able to partake in it.

My baby being formally and publicly initiated into the faith community marks a milestone that I will never forget.

Here are three lessons I took away from my son’s baptism:

1) The importance of fellowship

For us, baptism marks the formal entry into our religious community. It is a rite of passage that signifies acceptance into the beliefs and practices of our faith community. This is particularly important because having that fellowship can uplift a person, offer encouragement, give support, and a host of other benefits.

We are not meant to do life alone and that’s no different with our faith walk. Knowing that my son has been initiated into the community of believers gives me great joy and peace because having fellowship will be useful as he grows.

Baptism also fosters a sense of community and belonging, as individuals become part of the body of believers with shared beliefs and values.

To see my son baptised into the faith and participate in the ceremony by renewing my own baptismal vows along with everyone present served as the perfect reminder that there is power in fellowshipping with a community of believers.

2) The importance of obedience

In some faiths, baptism is considered a commandment or duty, demonstrating obedience to religious teachings. When Jeff and I got married in the Catholic Church, one of the vows we made was to not only accept children openly, but to also baptism them in the faith & raise them as Catholic. This is a vow that I took very seriously, and by baptising our son, we demonstrated our obedience to God and what He has called us to do.

To me, that’s the bare minimum.

Although sometimes when we do things in obedience, it can feel difficult at first, there are usually blessings on the other side.

Obedience is often demonstrated by children following the instruction of their parents even if they don’t necessarily appreciate he lessons when they’re in the middle of them. They will later grow up to understand the purpose of the teachings. As God’s children, we too can emulate this same obedience to God’s word and teachings by being deliberate in how we live our lives every single day.

It’s not always about doing what we want, but more about trusting that God has our best interest in mind when He gives us mandates or commands.

When God says move, we should move.

3) The importance of faith

With baptism often being regarded as the first step in a lifelong journey of faith, it was important that we prioritized our son’s baptism. Our faith teaches us that baptism is seen as a sacrament that imparts grace and symbolizes rebirth in Christ. I believe that one of the best gifts I can give my kids is the teaching of faith, and how important it is to believe in something bigger than yourself.

This baptism made me pause and soak in how valuable having faith is and how even though our son is only 6 months, one day he will appreciate the signicance of the day. We view baptism as a sacrament that imparts divine grace, strengthens one’s connection to God and provids spiritual empowerment. All of these are powerful tools that will be useful for my son to have during his walk, especially when life gets tough.

God was faithful by blessing me with the children I desperately wanted, and as a way to show thanks I will do all I can to ensure that I’m teaching and leading them in the ways of Christ. Seeing my son be baptised not only reminded me that God answers prayers, but that He’s always present even when times get hard.

The importance of fellowship, obedience, and faith were highlighted as we celebrated my son’s baptism, which is a day I’ll always remember. Baptism holds significance in shaping individual spirituality, community bonds, and adherence to religious principles.

I feel blessed that my son was involved and I’m grateful that so many people came out to help us celebrate.

I hope that with each passing day we too deepen our faith and value the importance of relying on God to get us through each day.

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