Written by Johanna Zabala, volunteer for Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Venezuela
And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. (Gal 3:27 NLT)
Today, through the new birth of water and the Spirit, I have at my disposal the purest and most beautiful garment that I have ever had or known, and even more, that unites me in Spirit with Christ Jesus.
Such a precious spiritual garment of Christ now in me, received by grace twenty-three years ago and to the glory of God, is what binds me every second of life to being constantly like Him, this being my most sublime first commitment of love.
To call myself a Christian today is to be able to exist more and more like Christ in every area of earthly life. Living in unity with Christ is also the most complete and integral blessing. Today, I live in an increasingly upside-down world, but having been clothed in Christ makes me feel safe, protected, and much loved.
Using the analogy of my new life with Christ, being already clothed with Him, I can confirm that everything I have lived and am still living in God's will with my husband was not and is not just to be happy, but more importantly to ask Him to accompany and support us. No longer being two, but one means we can attain in common the character of Christ, and thus be representatives of His name and image in the grandest garment—His Holy Spirit.
Some time ago, I read something that I have experienced myself: that marriage is where the mind of Christ can be most deeply acquired. I believe that having Him as part of the marriage relationship requires love and sacrifice, and, in a great way, to stop living only for oneself and to be one with the husband and vice versa.
Reading and personalizing Galatians 2:20, we are told, “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” He unites me not only in putting on His unique divine garment but in His spiritual nature to follow in His footsteps toward the progressive path that leads to the goal of eternal life.
At this moment, as I am married and walking through the course of my spiritual years, I have indeed learned the importance of being like Christ. It is when I am controlled by human emotions, thoughts, and actions that I most need God and His wisdom, which only comes from the Father through His Son and in His Holy Spirit, who guides the way to the truth and life of Christ.
Like every one of the important aspects of this life, I remember that in my first years as a wife, after all the feelings of butterflies in my stomach, I began to experience a diverse rainbow of emotions, beliefs, and realities that led me to various struggles, increasingly complex, and that required, without a doubt, the Divine Presence.
I remember so many differences arising between the two of us. I remember those moments of uncertainty when every decision, every dream, and every goal was no longer just mine, but now it was my husband's decisions, dreams, and goals as well. Coming to an agreement was increasingly difficult. For example, it was quite a challenge when he liked grey and I liked fuchsia, when he liked details and I liked simplicity, when we found that we were more and more different. But by keeping in the mind of the Lord and His love, we have grown to complement each other more and more every day as one in Christ, clothed with Him.
This unity fills us daily with a love that can do everything, with incomparable joy, a peace that surpasses all understanding, firm self-control, wise meekness, great portions of patience, a flow of goodness, and true faith; characteristics that perfect everything we face to always be like Christ in each of the moments or places where we are. What a blessing it is to be like Christ! Are you clothed in Christ today?