Choosing to Be Baptized
Choosing to Be Baptized
BY SARIAH HILT
Reflecting back on this year, I have concluded that 2021 was not my favorite. It’s been a stressful year for our family, as I’m sure it has been for everyone else. I’m not saying it was all bad, we had some really nice vacations and spent a lot of family time together (not much else we could do, right?). One of the highlights of this year was when my oldest son turned 8 years old.
In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we have been taught that children are considered innocent of sin and malice until they reach an age where they are old enough to understand and capable of being responsible for their own actions. According to latter-day prophets (1), that age of accountability is 8 years old.
Once a child has reached the age of accountability, he or she is able to choose whether or not to be baptized. Members of our church teach their children that being baptized is a good thing. And there are several reasons why we need to be baptized. Jesus Christ himself was baptized. We show we are obedient to him and the commandments he gave us by following in Jesus’s footsteps and being baptized as well. It’s also the first saving ordinance (2) that will allow us to return to heaven. We receive a remission of sins, and the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost.
I made sure to recite all these reasons to my son. But, mere understanding of why he needed to be baptized wasn’t enough. I knew that in order for this event to be meaningful, I couldn’t make this decision for him. My son had to make the decision to be baptized on his own. It had to be his choice.
According to Sharon G. Larsen, Second Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency (3),
"Agency is the power to think, choose, and act for ourselves. It comes with endless opportunities, accompanied by responsibility and consequences. It is a blessing and a burden. Using this gift of agency wisely is critical today because never in the world’s history have God’s children been so blessed or so blatantly confronted with so many choices.
Choice becomes inescapable. The world’s two opposing forces seek our commitment. On the one hand, there is the reality of Satan, and on the other, the more powerful love of the Savior… To become a committed follower of Christ, we must have the option to reject Him. So Satan is permitted to exercise his power, and yielding our will to God can sometimes become difficult. Yet it is in this exercise of acting for ourselves that we grow."
After giving my son all of the information, I asked him, “Do you want to be baptized?” His response was a clear, “Yes!” What a wonderful feeling, that after he has reached the age where his choices are really starting to matter, one of the first decisions he made was to follow in Jesus’s footsteps and be baptized. I have to say, I was one proud mama!!
That first choice has started my son on the straight and narrow path. It certainly is not the end though. Satan will continue to try to distract him throughout his life. I hope and pray he will always strive to follow in Jesus’s footsteps. Sister Larsen says,
“If we are not consciously and deliberately choosing the kingdom of God, we will in fact be moving backwards as the kingdom of God moves forward ‘boldly, nobly, and independent’”.
So, here we are, many months after the big event. All the excitement and the constant talking about baptism has calmed down. We’ve moved on with our life, getting ready for the Christmas season. So one day, out of the blue, I asked my son once again, “Why were you baptized?” And his response was so simple and matter of fact, “Because I wanted to”. It was his choice, and will continue to be his choice.
Credits
Agency— A Blessing and a Burden
The Covenant of Baptism: To Be in the Kingdom and of the Kingdom
