Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12 NIV
You can tell a lot about a person by what they are wearing. Often you can tell what they do for a living and even the company they represent, what hobbies they enjoy and what teams they support. Their clothing sometimes reflects a special event in their lives. It can even speak volumes about their personality or social status. You wouldn’t go to a job interview wearing jeans and an old t-shirt. Why? Because your clothes reveal, in part, who you are. Take a look at these pictures and see what you can tell about the person in each one just by what they are wearing.
I find it interesting that Paul tells us to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. These are qualities that people should see when they look at us. Just like wearing a uniform associates us with a certain company or team, these qualities represent God, as they are qualities that He has shown toward us. When people encounter us, they should be able to understand more about the character of our God by the things we clothe ourselves with.
So what will you wear today? When a co-worker takes credit for your work will they see you clothed in humility? When your kids test the boundaries will they see you clothed in patience? When your plate is full and you’re running late but encounter someone who is hurting will they see you clothed in compassion? When you get home from work, exhausted, and your spouse says the wrong thing, will you be wearing gentleness and kindness? Our Christianity must be real. It must be lived out everyday in very practical ways. It’s not about Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights, it’s about wearing the right clothes 24/7. Time to get dressed!