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!

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Angela Perritt

Angela Perritt is the founder and director of LoveGodGreatly.com, a nonprofit online Bible study ministry reaching thousands of women in over two hundred countries around the world with God’s Word through their translated Bible studies. She and her husband live in Dallas, Texas with their three daughters. Angela is passionate about God’s Word and believes one woman in God’s Word can change a family, community and ultimately a nation. Her greatest joy is to encourage her children and others to love God greatly with their lives one day at a time. You can connect with her on Instagram.