So I had one of those crazy Sunday mornings yesterday. The kind that involves struggling to dress three girls with tights that don’t have any runs in them, finding matching dress shoes for each and bows for their hair… Oh my goodness, who am I kidding! As I ran around my house like a modern day archeologist digging into drawers of multicolored tights and socks, looking through rooms and closets for two dress shoes that match. I heard that old familiar voice in my head say, “You know, if you had only laid out everything the night before…” Yeah, I know! And honestly, I do that most of the time. But man, I was tired Saturday night and after baths, books and bedtime… I was exhausted. I was done… ready to call it a day.
So I found myself on Sunday arriving to church late and having to walk the “walk of shame” (those of you with younger children hopefully know what I’m talking about… not that I’m hoping you’re late to church like me, but you know what I mean!) as I dropped off all three of my girls late to their Sunday school classes.
Why were we late? Because I was concerned with how my girls were “clothed” for church.
After a stressful and rushed Sunday morning, I came home let my girls play and sat down to write today’s blog post and I read these words:
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Colossians 3:12
Ohhh dear Lord, thank you for this gentle reminder. Forgive me for placing more importance on how I clothe my children on the outside rather than the inside.
Oh how I want to teach my daughters about what truly matters in life… I so needed this reminder. Maybe you did too?
As daughters to the King of kings, who are chosen, holy, and did I mention DEARLY LOVED… this is how we are to clothe ourselves.
With:
Compassion
Kindness
Humility
Gentleness
Patience
Last week we spent time looking at Who God is and What He has done. What a great time it was just to stop and slow down before the craziness of our holiday season comes upon us.
And so this week we come to our response to who God is and what He has done.
Our response to our Lord is to live as women clothed in this manner! And you know the great thing about “dressing” this way? These garments never go out of style!
So my challenge this week is to intentionally display compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience as we go about our days, interacting with the people God has placed in our lives.
I know it is hard to display all these characteristics! None of them come naturally to any of us. But when we focus on our gratitude to God and what He has already done, our love for Him compels us to extend that same love to others.
This week, instead of spending so much time and attention on what we wear (or what our children wear) on the outside, let’s spend time in prayer thanking God for what He has already done and ask Him to work in our lives to clothe us with:
Compassion… as we kiss the thousandth booboo for the day.
Kindness… as we look at the needs of others around us and decide to act and meet a need. Maybe even extend some kindness to ourselves…
Humility… as we praise another instead of seeking the praise.
Gentleness… as we choose to respond gently instead of “telling it like it is”…
Patience… as we realize we are all a work in progress. We are all broken and striving to be more and more like Christ each day… but none of us will be fully mature and complete until we see Jesus face to face. Until then, we are all growing in the faith. Let’s be patient with each other in the process.
As I look at this list, my heart overflows with love for God and a desire to wear these garments everyday in gratitude to the One who has done so much for me. But if I’m completely honest with you, I struggle everyday and that scares me. You see, I’m in the process of raising three girls to love God with all their hearts, minds and souls… oh how I want to teach them what it looks like to be a woman who clothes herself with these garments.
And you know the amazing truth in all of this? From the richest to the poorest, EVERYONE can clothe themselves with these amazing, beautiful garments!
So next time I have another crazy Sunday “rush to get to church” morning, I’m going to go back to this verse, take a deep breath, slow down, and make sure I put on these “garments” first for my girls to see…
Because it’s what’s on the inside that truly matters…. and seriously, who has time for matching bows anyway?
Love God Greatly!
{Week Two} Challenge:
{Week Two} Memory Verse:
{Week Two} Reading Plan:
Dear Angela,
Thank you for your sacrifice of time in preparing this blog post.
One thing that compassion kindness humility gentleness and patience has in common with the clothes, shoes and hair bows is that we may have to dig to find them! We may have to take 3 deep breaths, we may have to stop and remember those 4 attributes or we may have to stop and print out the weekly challenge and read it out loud!
Dear Lord, help us to dig down deep and find these attributes during our week and have an attitude of gratitude. Amen!
Debbie, That is a great point! Getting dressed in our spiritual clothing can be a struggle much of the time.
Thank you for your response,
Amy A (LGG Encourager)
Ha! So true, Debbie!:) Somedays, I’m sure a little deeper than others!:)
Thank you Angela for the beautiful post! I too have 3 daughters, and they all need to see different attributes of God in me! But before even reading the weekly challenge, God put it on my heart as I was studying this morning to just focus on one at a time this week. Today I am focusing on compassion. Something that my oldest daughter really needs to see from me. Tomorrow I’ll truly focus on kindness, etc. So cool how it turns out to be one attribute for each day this week 🙂
Thank you ladies for taking the time away from your beautiful families to be a light for all of us!
God bless and have a wonderful week!
Netty
I like how you relate each grace to a day of the week and even a particular daughter. I am praying that this week in particular, your daughters observe you beautifully arrayed!
Amy A (LGG Encourager)
Ohhhh that’s beautiful, Netty!:)
Thank you for this blog post! It was a huge blessing to me this morning! I, too, am raising daughters…4 of them. Just last night, my 9 year old was struggling with the peer pressure of wearing the “right” clothes. We had gone shopping yesterday and she tends to like the clothes that are still very youthful. When I put her to bed, I could tell something was bothering her. As we talked, she told me that many of her friends don’t wear those youthful clothes anymore, but rather shop at “teen” stores now. I did my best to explain that it doesn’t matter what her style is, that that’s not what God cares about. But, honestly, I didn’t feel like I was finding the right words to share with her. And then this morning our verse was Colossians 3:12, and you shared your own story with your girls. It was exactly the verse I needed to share with my daughter. I shared it with her before school and I plan on spending some more time with her tonight discussing it, and what those attributes truly look like. I love how God continues to prove to me each day that His Word has absolutely everything we need! Thank you again! I pray you have a wonderful week!
Angie
Bless you as you teach your daughters these truths. It is amazing how God sends the right message when we need it. Thank you for sharing your story.
Amy A (LGG Encourager)
Ohhhh I LOVE hearing this, Angie! Yes, God’s Word is alive and He speaks into our lives at just the right time! And by the way, my oldest isn’t getting clothes at stores like that either yet…..your daughter isn’t alone. 🙂
Oh how I love these post!!! I get so lost in worry and well…life, that I can’t see the forest for the trees! I thank God for his love and blessings he so freely pours on us, truly I do!!! Thank you sister in Christ
Pamala, I am right there with you. How often I get my focus off of the really important things.
Blessings!
Amy A (LGG Encourager)
I love how God gently reminds us of what’s truly important just when we need it!:) He loves us so well! 🙂
Compassion
Kindness
Humility
Gentleness
Patience
I need to ask God to help clothe my heart and soul with these attributes daily. I can surely use all of them in my Christian walk. It can be humbling to realize how far you have to go in you walk with Christ, but at the same time, it’s wonderful to see how far you have come.
Bless you for realizing the progress that you have made and remembering that none of us will “arrive” until we are in heaven.
Amy A (LGG Encourager)
Amen, sweet friend! We are all a work in progress!:) So important to remember that for others and for ourselves….we all need a lot of grace. 🙂
Great words and encouragement from the Bible this morning. Thank you for focusing on what our actions should be, as a way of serving our glorious Lord. His word encourages me to demonstrate these “clothing” attributes toward my husband tonite and to be an example to my daughter AND granddaughter, as we all continue to grow in Christ.
Praying for you as you seek to display these attributes. Sometimes our family is so much easier to let down our guards simply because they don’t judge us as harshly. May God give you strength to display His grace.
Amy A (LGG Encourager)
Love your intentionality with your family, Jackie! 🙂
This is good. I really needed to read this. I myself don’t have children. I’m blessed with a job that gives us an apparel allowance twice a year so work clothes don’t take much
Thought. I get tired of my closet and just a little frustrated with its offerings as I love to dress for success in life. But at the end of the day it isn’t what we look like on the outside and this reminded me of that. Thanks ladies!
Praying for you as you “dress for success” in your spiritual walk. Thank you for sharing your heart.
Amy A (LGG Encourager)
Ahhh I remember my grandmother telling me when I was a little girl that one of the best things I could “wear” was a smile everyday!:) I try to remember that as I go about my days! That’s actually one of the ways I can best love my husband. He always comments on my smile….it makes him feel loved when I smile at him. 🙂
<3 this Angela~ And you know the amazing truth in all of this? From the richest to the poorest, EVERYONE can clothe themselves with these amazing, beautiful garments!
Such an encouraging reminder! Thank you for your faithfulness, and for being such an encouragement to me, and so many women who connect through this ministry.
Ohh Marlene!!! I am the blessed one! Treasure you, sweet friend and so thankful for you!:)
Great Post!