Digging Deeper – Dressed to Love
12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.
Colossians 3:12-14 (NLT)
DRESSED TO LOVE
Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, and Albert Einstein all shared something in common. They often would be seen wearing the same outfit. Every day, they would get up and put on the same outfit as the day before, or one so similar that no one would know the difference. The idea is that this is a choice that you need to make every morning, so rather than spending time choosing their daily look, they would wear the same thing every day, so they would have more brainpower to put into the tasks that matter.
Paul encourages his readers to clothe themselves in the same outfit each day. Read the passage above and imagine how clothing yourself in mercy, kindness, humility, and patience would look in your daily life. How would making this your daily routine change your life and the people around you?
I have heard of people praying through the armor of God. They mention each piece of armor and imagine putting it on. What if we did the same thing with this passage, clothing ourselves for the day in love and forgiveness? We could pray through each attribute, consciously adding it to our daily ensemble. Then, if you are one of those who put on the armor of God daily, add that on top. After all, armor without clothing under it would be much less effective.
Take a moment and pray through Colossians 3:12-14. Ask God to clothe you in the attributes it lists. Ask him to prepare you to show love today. Pray that all who see you will see the love of God in all you do and say.
Chris Boggess is the Next Generation/Family Pastor at NorthStar Church. He grew up in St. Albans, West Virginia, and still cheers for the Mountaineers. He and his wife, Heather, have two grown children and one granddaughter.