Free To Live
“For here’s what I’m going to do: I’m going to take you out of these countries, gather you from all over, and bring you back to your own land. I’ll pour pure water over you and scrub you clean. I’ll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I’ll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that’s God-willed, not self-willed. I’ll put my Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by my commands. You’ll once again live in the land I gave your ancestors. You’ll be my people! I’ll be your God!” – Ezekiel 36:24-28
The decision to be Baptized is one that is very personal, yet through a public declaration of ones’s faith it becomes quite public. The truth is people choose to be Baptized because they have experienced a life giving change from within. Baptism is a symbol of the cleansing that is brought by the Holy Spirit, through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. I know for myself this was true. I came to understand the life giving change through Jesus and I can’t help but appreciate, as well as celebrate it when others find themselves completely free to live out their new lives. It is always inspiring to see believers ready to announce their faith as they publicly identify with Jesus through Baptism. This is truly a joyous celebration!
This is even more joyous when we witness someone we love take the step to acknowledge that they identify with Jesus. I recently watched the man I love, my husband be Baptized. We have been through a lot and I have witnessed his struggle and he has witnessed mine. I know the past pains he has endured as well as his regrets. We have shared fears and doubts, so I understood completely the difficulty of his journey in getting to this point. The truth is the journey is never easy, but God is always moving us closer and closer to Him, if we only believe.
This is what I witnessed as I watched my husband grow in his faith. I saw how the unconditional love of Christ set him free from guilt and shame. I was amazed as I watched my husband grow in his understanding of God and God’s word. I saw the continual growth that stemmed from his willingness to surrender more and more, and this led him to a freedom that he had always desired and longed for. This freedom is what he sought and only found in the life changing Grace of God.
The decision for my husband to be Baptized was a testimony to the true and authentic change from within him. He felt the time was now and he was ready to acknowledge that he was made new! He was motivated to express this very personal change as an act of that acknowledgement and gratitude for all that Jesus had done for him and within him. As the day approached he became more and more aware of how his decision to reveal his new life could effect others, especially those closest to him. It was at the very moment when we came out of the water that he felt this impact-full life change was not about him, but all about Jesus. Because of this revelation he recognized that through his new life others could see the life of Jesus through him. To live now was to reveal what he came to know as the true authentic life and freedom found in Jesus Christ.
