Today, I attended my sweet friend Sarah's baptism. Sarah is eight years old and loves the Disney princesses, especially Rapunzel. She invited me to talk about the topic of baptism and I decided to compose something special just for her.
I thought some of my blog followers would enjoy the talk & possibly want to tweak it for future use. In parentheses, you will see answers to questions I asked Sarah. Enjoy!
Princess Rapunzel & Princess Sarah's Baptism
Once upon a time, there was a princess who had forgotten who she really was. She was very kind and loved to read and draw. She also did lots of cleaning. Each year, she stayed up late into the night so she could gaze out her window as thousands of lights filled the sky.
Do you know which princess I’m talking about? (Rapunzel)
Like Rapunzel, we come to Earth and forget who we really are. We see glimpses of our divine potential, but we don’t remember where we came from before we were born.
Daughter of a King
Now, Rapunzel had a father. Do you remember who he was? (The king)
You have a dad here on earth. But did you know you have a father who is a King too? Heavenly Father is a King and you are His daughter. So that makes you a princess, too. And every princess needs something sparkly to wear. (Present sparkly headband)
Cleaning
Do you remember how I said Rapunzel did a lot of cleaning? Today you are going to do a bit of cleaning too.
When Rapunzel cleans her home, she dusts, mops and makes the windows shine. But when you get baptized, something much more important than dust gets cleaned away. What is it? (Your sins). That’s right. All of the mistakes you’ve made are washed away and you become clean and pure. It’s a beautiful gift from Heavenly Father.
After Rapunzel was reunited with her family, she had to learn to act like a princess. Did you know I met you when you were a little 2 year old toddler? Over the last six years, I’ve watched you learn about Jesus and Heavenly Father and how much they love you. I know your family and church teachers have taught you how to live like a daughter of God, which is another kind of princess.
They’ve taught you:
- to be kind to others
- to read the scriptures
- to pray to Heavenly Father
- to make good choices.
Today, you’ve made a very good choice that Heavenly Father is very proud of: to be baptized.
When you are baptized, you promise Heavenly Father that you will follow His commandments. In return, He makes promises to you, too.
He promises to
- always forgive you when you repent
- to give you the gift of the Holy Ghost to guide you
- and that you can return to live with Him forever.
Heavenly Father’s promises are very special. At church, you’ve learned about the things you need to do to return to live with Heavenly Father, Jesus, your family and friends. The opportunity to live together forever is your very own Happily Ever After. The first step to getting your happy ever after is being baptized.
Help Along the Way
Rapunzel has a dream to travel to the kingdom. Why does she want to go there? (To see the lights fill the sky). Is it easy for her to get there? (No). That’s right. She needs to find people to help her along the way. Like Rapunzel, your life here on Earth won’t be easy. There will be lots of happiness, but there will also be difficult challenges to help you learn and grow—but there will be people who love you very much to help you. Who do you think some of those people might be?
- Parents
Do you know which princess I’m talking about? (Rapunzel)
Like Rapunzel, we come to Earth and forget who we really are. We see glimpses of our divine potential, but we don’t remember where we came from before we were born.
Daughter of a King
Now, Rapunzel had a father. Do you remember who he was? (The king)
You have a dad here on earth. But did you know you have a father who is a King too? Heavenly Father is a King and you are His daughter. So that makes you a princess, too. And every princess needs something sparkly to wear. (Present sparkly headband)
Cleaning
Do you remember how I said Rapunzel did a lot of cleaning? Today you are going to do a bit of cleaning too.
When Rapunzel cleans her home, she dusts, mops and makes the windows shine. But when you get baptized, something much more important than dust gets cleaned away. What is it? (Your sins). That’s right. All of the mistakes you’ve made are washed away and you become clean and pure. It’s a beautiful gift from Heavenly Father.
After Rapunzel was reunited with her family, she had to learn to act like a princess. Did you know I met you when you were a little 2 year old toddler? Over the last six years, I’ve watched you learn about Jesus and Heavenly Father and how much they love you. I know your family and church teachers have taught you how to live like a daughter of God, which is another kind of princess.
They’ve taught you:
- to be kind to others
- to read the scriptures
- to pray to Heavenly Father
- to make good choices.
Today, you’ve made a very good choice that Heavenly Father is very proud of: to be baptized.
When you are baptized, you promise Heavenly Father that you will follow His commandments. In return, He makes promises to you, too.
He promises to
- always forgive you when you repent
- to give you the gift of the Holy Ghost to guide you
- and that you can return to live with Him forever.
Heavenly Father’s promises are very special. At church, you’ve learned about the things you need to do to return to live with Heavenly Father, Jesus, your family and friends. The opportunity to live together forever is your very own Happily Ever After. The first step to getting your happy ever after is being baptized.
Help Along the Way
Rapunzel has a dream to travel to the kingdom. Why does she want to go there? (To see the lights fill the sky). Is it easy for her to get there? (No). That’s right. She needs to find people to help her along the way. Like Rapunzel, your life here on Earth won’t be easy. There will be lots of happiness, but there will also be difficult challenges to help you learn and grow—but there will be people who love you very much to help you. Who do you think some of those people might be?
- Parents
- Sisters
- Friends
- Church leaders
- Heavenly Father
Did Rapunzel ever make mistakes? (Yes, she did). Sometimes you will make mistakes too. I’ll tell you a little secret (shh!)—Even though I’m an adult and a mommy, I still make mistakes every day. Right after you’re baptized, you are going to be clean, with no mistakes. But do you think you might make a mistake tomorrow? (Maybe) But if you do, remember that one of the things Heavenly Father promises is that if you repent sincerely, then he will always forgive you.
In Closing
Do you remember how Rapunzel loved to read? Well, there’s one book you can read that will help you live like a daughter of God. The scriptures. There’s a scripture I love that helps me to remember how to keep my promises so that I can be worthy to receive Heavenly Father’s promises. It’s in John 13:34.
In this verse, Jesus tells us that we should love each other, just like He loves us. I know that if you love others and treat them with kindness, and also love yourself and respect your body as a daughter of God, that you will stay on a good righteous path.
You are a beautiful daughter of God, Sarah. The things that make you beautiful are your smile, your laughter, your kindness to others, and your love for the gospel. I know that Heavenly Father is so proud of you and loves you very much. Today, I want to share with you that I know the gospel is true. That it can bring you peace, comfort, and joy throughout your life. I’m so grateful for our Savior Jesus Christ and that He was willing to both live as an example and also die for us so that we can have the opportunity to live and learn here on Earth and return to live in heaven with our family and friends. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
