Sabbath Devotional :: The Marvel of Rebirth

Photo via Unsplash license by Meric Dagli

Over the last few days, as I have been reflecting on the message of Easter and basking in a truly glorious New England spring, a few simple words of scripture keep coming to my mind. Spoken by the Savior to Nicodemus, they are words that explain baptism and its link to exaltation. Nicodemus has come to learn, but he still seems to be struggling to comprehend, the spiritual nature of the teachings offered him. In that moment Christ addresses this confusion head on:

“Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is everyone that is born of the Spirit.” John 3:7-8

My own baptism happened many, many years ago — almost as a matter of course — and yet I am still deeply grateful for the opportunity to covenant with God that was given to me then. The promise I made that day set me on a course of discipleship. However, I am even more grateful for the growth and understanding that has come since that moment, as well as God’s patience with me over decades as I have explored exactly what that covenant required and been amazed at what it has supplied.

Gratefully my experience of rebirth hasn’t been limited to one moment in one day. I believe that one of the great gifts that Christ offers those who truly follow him is the opportunity for not just one rebirth, but a lifetime of them. We are offered as many resurgences as we want or require, as many restorations as we will humbly ask for or seek. Sometimes we come to moments of rebirth with attitudes of joy, and sometimes we are driven to them by deep despair. And while I still hold dear the spiritual witness of the day that my eight year old self was baptized, other rebirths have superseded that in terms of their magnitude and healing.

In spite of Christ’s commandment to “marvel not” I still am periodically overwhelmed at that chance to reawaken and start fresh. I have also come to have my own personal understanding of the Savior’s words that followed–as much as I would like to be able to quantify, and explain the deep spiritual gift of personal rebirth, it is given without me really understanding from whence it comes. It is just a gift that I can feel and hear by means of the Spirit and I have learned to be satisfied with my small understanding of that mystery.

The process of rebirth is not only gift of discipleship, but also a requirement. For without undergoing it, we are unable to begin to communicate his power. Having experienced rebirth, we can most effectively testify of the possibility that power offers us all; it has stopped being abstract, but instead profoundly real. Our restorations tether us to Him and can be the means to guide others toward him. And the more the Savior heals us, the more we become willing givers of new beginnings to others, demonstrating that we are learning to love as we have been loved.

“Seeing as ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love…see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible…” 1 Peter 1:22-23

Perhaps the most beautiful thing about the rebirths offered to us in this lifetime is that God is generous and opportunities abound. They don’t happen just when things are good, or life is on the upswing, or resources are finally abundant, or the problems are all solved. We are offered the chance to begin our own renaissance exactly when we need it, even when other things seem bleak.

This week, in spite of the fact that some things speak of the glory of spring, but others very much do not, I have felt the Lord calling me to give him some of my burdens and start fresh. My heart is filled with gratitude for the fact that this gift is offered to all of us and I marvel once again at this particular and joyful gift of the Spirit.