Clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you.

Colossians 3:12-13

Almost 3 years have passed since I wrote the reflection below and dear friends, all I can say is God is good. All. The. Time. The truths below are still very much truths today. Change is constant. Small changes lead to big changes over time. Thank God, He never stops working on us!

——————– June 27, 2020 ———————-

For most of my adult life, I’ve spent 10+ hours a day in high heels, pantyhose, and dress clothes with jewelry and make-up on. As a teacher and then a state-level education leader, I clothe myself each morning in a way that my profession has decided demonstrates expertise and brings success. Though I prefer jeans, flannels, and flip-flops, I don the garb of the professional educator each day because I have something valuable to share and I need others to be able to instantly identify me as a reliable source of knowledge even before they’ve heard me speak.

For the past 3.5 months though, my daily attire has been a bit more relaxed: dress shirt and leggings, pretty blouse and jeans, cami, cardigan, and basketball shorts. See a trend? Yep. When you’re working from home with a laptop camera, you really only have to look half the part. After all, no one can see the rest of you, right?

Oh, unless you walk away from the laptop that is.

Yeah…we’ve likely all seen the video by now with the gentleman who’s doing the news from home and gets too far from the camera, giving the viewers a broader angle, and reveals himself to be in suit and tie and boxer shorts. Embarrassing! And yet, whether you’re a long time work-from-homer or a pandemic work-from-homer, you know it could just as easily happen to you. Maybe you aren’t in a dress top and your underoos, but I’m willing to bet you’re in bottoms with paint spots, worn out places, or draw strings from time to time.

By now you’re thinking, ok, that’s interesting, but what does it have to do with Colossians 3:12-13?

Good question. Let’s think about it like this:

When I’m not working from home, I am willing to go out of my comfort zone for my career by putting on clothes I would not naturally choose. A lot of the time, those clothes aren’t particularly comfortable. Not because I buy cheap clothes (my wallet wishes they were cheaper), but because I need to lose some weight and gain some muscle. The clothes are uncomfortable not because they are flawed but because I need to work on myself.

Reflecting on Colossians 3:12-13, I recognize that I am not naturally a patient person and yet God tells me I need to clothe myself in patience. I am not naturally humble. I have a natural tendency to come at problems head on like a bulldozer. Yet, God tells me to clothe myself in humility and gentleness. To be known and taken seriously as a professional, I must dress and act professionally. To let God be known to others, I must clothe myself in Christ-like traits and act as God teaches me to act even if it’s not comfortable at first, even if it means changing some things about myself to make the traits fit me better.

Now, let’s circle back to the work-from-home garb: top 1/2 professional, bottom 1/2 wouldn’t even wear to Walmart. Oh and don’t forget the guy who moved a little and showed the world his undershorts.

God desires us to clothe ourselves in the attributes listed in Colossians 3:12, but what if we only did that half the time?

What if we wore them out in public, but at home or with our closest friends we took 1/2 of them off?

What would the world see if the camera angle showed people a wider view of your life?

Would the world see your actions, hear your words, and see Christ in you even at home or would they see you clothed in traits you’d never wear in public, maybe not even in the driveway to check the mail?

Will you be fully clothed in His teachings and make Him known all the time? Are there things in your attitudinal and/or spiritual closet that you need to throw out?

All questions worthy of reflection for each of us today. I’ll be taking them to God in prayer shortly. Will you join me?