When I Am Baptized

Text and music: Nita Dale Milner; original language: English

When Nita Milner was a child, one of her Primary teachers taught that the great Flood of Noah’s time was like a baptism for the earth (see 1 Peter 3:20–21). After the rain stopped, God promised He would never flood the earth like that again. As a token of that covenant, God placed a rainbow in the sky (see Genesis 9:12–17). Rainbows reminded Sister Milner of how God cleansed the earth during the Flood and of His covenants with His children.

In 1987, Sister Milner had several nieces and nephews who were preparing for baptism. She wanted to write a special song for them, but health challenges had left her very weak. One night, she woke her husband and asked for a pencil and paper. Sitting up in bed, she wrote the lyrics to a new song she titled “Rainbows.” After finishing the lyrics, she made her way to the piano. Careful not to wake her son sleeping in the next room, she hovered her hands over the keyboard and silently “played” the music forming in her head, recording the notes on paper. Aside from a few later refinements, the song was completed in a single night.

Sister Milner hoped this song would help children understand that baptism is a wonderful gift from our Heavenly Father and that we can be cleansed and forgiven of our sins as we turn to Jesus Christ each day.

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On This Page

Scriptures

Principles

Jesus Christ asks each of us to follow Him and be baptized.
Baptism reminds us that Jesus Christ asks us to choose the right and to repent when we make mistakes.
As we try to be like Jesus Christ each day, He will help us grow close to Heavenly Father.

Questions to Ponder

Why do Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ want you to choose the right?
What can you do to show Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ that you want to follow Them?
When you have done something wrong, what can you do to receive forgiveness from Heavenly Father?

Related Gospel Study Guides

From Topics and Questions, Gospel Library:

Activities for Families

Share personal stories about baptism. Sing the song together as a family. Invite family members to share what they remember about their baptism day. You could share photographs, stories, or other memories from family baptisms. You could talk about how being physically clean can help us understand the beauty of being spiritually clean. Emphasize how the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the gift of the Holy Ghost help us stay spiritually clean throughout our lives.
Teach about baptism and Jesus Christ’s Atonement. Use this song to prepare for a baptism in your family or to remind family members of the covenant we make to follow Jesus Christ. After singing the second verse together, you might ask:
- Who are we choosing to follow when we are baptized?
- How can we be forgiven of our sins?
Show a picture of Jesus Christ in Gethsemane. Explain that because of His atoning sacrifice, forgiveness for our sins is possible. We can continue to be forgiven as we “turn to Him each day.” Invite family members to share what it might look like to turn to Jesus daily.

Music Helps

This song includes a measure with fermatas . A fermata above (or below) a note means you should hold the note for longer than its normal length. When singing in a large group, look to your music leader to know how long to sing it.