Marked by Grace: Last Week’s Baptism

Choosing to be baptized again—an intentional step into new life with Christ.

Earleyville Church of Christ

Washed in Grace:
Reflections on My Baptism

Last Wednesday at church, a single line in the lesson stopped me cold: “A false baptism doesn’t count.” It pulled a memory from the back of my mind, and all at once I realized the baptism I had as a child wasn’t a decision I remembered making.

When I was very young my sister and I were homeless with our mother. We entered a program, The Memphis Interfaith Hospitality Network (MIHN), where a series of churches sheltered women and children while helping parents find work and stable housing. For 41 days we stayed in 7 different churches. I can’t tell you which church it was that day; the only clear memory is walking down the aisle and running my hands along the pews. Someone handed me a Bible with my name printed on the cover, and I was told I had been baptized. At the time I was a child who didn’t understand the meaning behind the act.

Hearing that lesson as an adult made me realize that faith is not just about rites performed on us when we’re too young to choose; it’s about a conscious turning toward Christ. That realization moved something in me. I wanted my baptism to be an act I could own, to be a clear "yes" spoken by the heart, not something done for me when I couldn’t comprehend it.

The very next night I made the decision to be publicly and intentionally baptized as a sign of new life and commitment.

I’m grateful for the people who supported me, for the safe hands that guided us through that difficult season, and for the community that celebrated with me last week. Baptism for me has become both a beautiful connection to my past and a conscious step into the future I want to live with Christ.

If you’ve ever wondered what it means to choose faith for yourself, I’d love to talk about my story and hear yours.

Romans 6:4 — "We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."

With warmth,
Samantha Hollis
Rooted in TN Grace