I have spent much time the last few years seeking for truth and weighing out what I have been taught all my life to be truth. Every now and again I come across words that just envelope me and help me to see things more clearly-- giving spiritual practices and principles more or sometimes less, LIGHT. A dear friend of mine shared these words I hadn't heard, from a woman I have long loved. Her name is Chieko Okazaki. These words shifted things inside me and helped me feel a deep sweetness about Baptism. Obviously we take the name of many things upon ourselves throughout our lifetime...but the thought of wrapping ourselves in shear goodness like this....well, just filled my heart with gratitude.
For me, great strength comes every week as I partake of the sacrament and remind myself that I bear the name of Christ, that I have taken it upon myself like something tangible. Sometimes, when I am feeling lonely and tired, I take the name of the Savior upon me like a warm blanket. I wrap myself in it the way my two-year-old grandson wraps himself in his cherished "blankey," and I feel warmed and comforted. If I am feeling vulnerable, sometimes I take the name of Christ upon me like armor, feeling it solid and bright and impregnable, so that no opposition can puncture it and so that no wound can devastate me. Sometimes I take the name of Christ upon me like Joseph's coat of many colors, a beautiful garment in which to dance and rejoice and praise the Lord. -- Chieko Okazaki
The sweetest part to me...you DON'T have to be PERFECT to take the name of Christ upon you. Just the opposite. You can wrap yourself in it when you are who you are right now and where you are right now. Thank you Chieko XXOOXX
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