As I write this blog we are preparing to go out of state for our son’s wedding. This is one of those beautiful, precious times, when we get to join our adult children and some of our grandchildren, in a happy, hopeful celebration of life. Packing is more and more on my mind as the days count down until we leave. I always over pack, because I cannot predict exactly which clothes I will feel like wearing while I am gone. Sound familiar?
I was considering a passage in Colossians 3 regarding things Christians are to put off and put on. It occurred to me that in these verses Paul is talking about taking on these virtues deliberately, with forethought, similar to how I am deliberating over which clothes to take on my trip. These virtues, or wardrobe elements in keeping with the figure I am using, are for every Christian, which means as women we are to be paying attention to adding these things to our lives. Let’s consider these verses.
“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:12-17)
Notice how each of these virtuous qualities is shown to others by our deliberate choice. Christians who are seeking to grow to be more like Jesus are hard-working people at home and abroad. Our motivation is our thankfulness to God for all he has done for us. I perceive a cycle at work here. We diligently look for and express thankfulness to God for his blessings to us as commanded in this passage, and, in remembering what has been done for us it becomes easier to choose to show these gracious virtues to others. We forgive, not because it is easy, but because we were forgiven and commanded to do the same. As God showed compassion on our human weaknesses and choices to sin, we show compassion on others. As he was patient with us while we were growing in our understanding of his will for us, we show that patience to others who have not come as far in their understanding. To feed our hearts and strengthen our determination to continue to do better we are filled with the word of Christ, learning and being reminded of the will of God. We are fellowshipping with other Christians and building each other up with these things. The purpose, passion, and vision of our lives becomes serving God, and expressing these virtues to others in deliberately choosing to put them on in our hearts and lives daily. We choose the peace of Christ, the perfect harmony of love, and gratitude to God over the hate, chaos, envy, and greed of the world.
As we go our busy ways this summer, whether for celebratory vacations, in sorrow over loss, or in ordinary routines, let us remember that in addition to our clothes, jewelry, shoes, and makeup we need to be sure to pack our determination to put on these virtues and live deliberate Christian lives, displaying the Light of the Gospel to the world.
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