Something New

So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it. 

 Colossians 3:12-14 The Message

Do you remember going out shopping for a new suit or dress for Easter or some other special occasion? If it was for Easter, I remember going shopping a few weeks before Easter, while it was still Lent. I remember going to that certain store that Mom always took us to. As a small child, the number of dresses to choose from seemed endless. There was a certain excitement about the whole process. And of course, we can’t forget the new shoes to go with the new dress. There was something refreshing about getting something new as Spring was coming. Even better, was that day when you got to wear your new clothes. They were not your ordinary everyday clothes. They were only for certain days or occasions. You delighted in wearing them. 

Every item of clothing we wear has a reflection of us in it. We choose which items to wear and choose what goes best with each one. Or, if you are more like my husband, you go for your usual jeans and T-shirt unless it’s a special occasion. But even that reflected his personality and his choices.

Rarely, do we think of God’s love as something that we wear. But consider that what is in our hearts does become visible in our choices – even our choices of clothing and behavior. If compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline, being even-tempered, content with second place, and quick to forgive an offense is in our hearts, then we wear it on the outside. That sort of “clothing” should make us feel just as delighted, if not even better, than buying physical clothes.

To think that God would choose this for us would make it the most wonderful “clothing” that we could ever possibly wear! And it’s not just for special occasions. It is for every day.



Father God, thank you for giving us your love to wear every day. May your love in us be reflected to the world in our compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline, being even-tempered, and  being quick to forgive an offense. Amen.

                                                         Denise Clark, CLM