She's focused on a special relationship right now - with God.
Actress and media personality Candice Modiselle recently got baptised in a touching ceremony at her church in Johannesburg.
But this is not the first time that the former Generations: The Legacy star has been baptised.
Speaking to TRUELOVE, Candice talks to us about why she decided to go public with this aspect of her life.
“I’m in a season of my life where I am getting better to understand that Christianity is not about religion. The walk and journey I am on are not about certain boxes or actions that are more religious and relational because over the years you go to church, get baptised, you pray. It is all within the framework of ‘this is what makes you Christian’ and not ‘what does your heart say, what are your daily actions, what is your lifestyle and how do all of those things inform a Christ-like life and how does your life fall back to the glory of God'.”
She’s in a different era now and loves every minute of it. With all that she has achieved, Candice tells us that she is very intentional about her relationship with ‘the Man above’ and for her fans to see His glory.
“I wouldn’t say I was naïve when I got baptised initially because I was a baby. I had no idea what it was, all I knew was that ‘it was being dunked in water like an Oreo’ and everything else was like a boxed exercise. And with the wisdom that God has granted me, I don’t want people to glorify me in terms of my work but I want them to acknowledge the giver of the gifts and not just the gifts that they get to see.”
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She tells us that it was not an overnight decision for her to get baptised. She says she had to abstain from certain kinds of food and drinks before she became “a new creation”.
“My mom didn’t stop crying. It is natural for a parent to be proud of a child’s achievements but we don’t often see young people getting baptised, we don’t see them celebrating that milestone in their lives and publicly acknowledging the position that Christ is taking in their lives. My mom really is proud and if she could stand in the roof and tell everyone about it, she would. I’m so blessed to have them in my life,” shares the grateful actress.
Candice shared a heartfelt baptism video with her fans on her social media pages. In her caption, the former YoTV presenter reintroduced herself as Tumelo Candice Modiselle, a new creation.
“It feels like a new beginning when I look back at the video, every time I see it, I see a fresh start and I see hope for the future and young people. Because even when I posted it, it wasn’t to yield any form of conversation about me because it has nothing to do with me but everything to do with the kingdom of God. I just felt this strong push from the Holy Spirit to post it and that was a week later. I was humbled by the messages I got, and what was said in the comment section, it was beautiful.”
While many know her as Candice, she says, “I’ve been Tumelo my whole life, my family calls me Tumi. I can’t think of the time they ever needed to call me Candice, it would be strange. So, when I reintroduced myself as Tumelo Candice Modiselle, I was at a point where I just wanted to acknowledge every facet of my identity and the evolution of the woman that I am becoming and Tumelo means faith so why wouldn’t I lead with faith? If I am a woman of faith and in faith? So, I wanted to acknowledge that part too.”
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When asked to describe her life before she became baptised, the actress tells us that she has been relying on her own abilities.
“My life before that I have been doing things in my own strengths and it’s not like I’ve haven’t seen God’s hand in my life and haven’t experienced His faithfulness and miracles. The mere fact that I am standing as a child raised by a single parent, it’s unbelievable and speaks to the testimony of God’s provision. So, my life before that, I’d say when you in the world and off the world, you allow the world to dictate who you are the lengths and breaths that you could go, how you interact and engage and for many years I’ve been learning and working on my own strengths with my very own limited knowledge,” she explains.
On the career front, Candice is still very much booked and busy. She shares that she just completed an exciting voice-over project with a big online streaming platform. However, she doesn’t wish to give away too much as yet.
“I am working on a quite number of things. We don’t have an official statement as yet but will make the announcement soon,” she giggles.
