As I was being totally submerged in the cold water, my whole body began to shake. I didn’t know if it was the winter coldness or the presence of God that made me tremble that way. But as my Christian brothers and sisters witnessed the transforming miracle of God, they all began to sing:
I’m a new creation, I’m a brand new man,
All things have passed away, I’ve been born again,
More than a conqueror, that’s who I am.
I’m a new creation, I’m a brand new man …
Suddenly I felt the warmth of tears slowly flowing from my dry eyes. Tears that I had lost for so many years had now come back in baptism. The Lord had restored them. I suddenly felt the love of God, specific, clear, and inarguable. I wasn’t the type of person who allowed emotions to rule my life, but the conviction of His presence was so strong that day I could not withstand it.
What gifts were bestowed on you at your baptism? What gifts have emerged since then? Give thanks for them, and for the transforming power of God.
Reading from Uong Nguyen I
am a New Creation(Mona Vale, NSW: Ark House, 2012), 183-4.
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