I Need Some New Clothes!

Last week was rough. I was more tired, cranky, and worn out than I've been in a while. Then God interrupted my pity party.

Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. ~Colossians 3:12-14

Notice it says Put On Love. God is the essence of love. He doesn't wake up in the morning, eat his cereal, and put on a shirt, pants, and love. He already is. We, however, have to put on love daily. Some days it's easy to forget though. If you wake up late, get cut off in traffic, or have to deal with difficult people, it's normal to do what everyone else is doing. Complain and blame. But God calls us to a higher standard. Put on love. Forgive. Turn the other cheek. Your reward is in Heaven, not on earth. It's like flossing your teeth. You might not feel like doing it, but you know it's the right thing to do.

Love is NOT a feeling. It's an action. It's something you choose. What would the world look like if we started to radically show love. Not as a conditional, worldly, whats-in-it-for-me love. (Note: I'm not talking about being a doormat and continuously letting someone abuse you while you keep turning the other cheek. We'll discuss that later.) But an unconditional, I'm-free-to-love-because-God-loved-me-first, crazy love.

So this week I'm purposefully putting on love each morning. Lemme tell you it was not easy today. I think God was testing me out a little. But that's how I get stronger. It's like lifting weights. Small resistance develops the muscle, and over time you can lift much more than you could in the beginning. I'm probably starting out with some 2lb weights, but they feel like 20lbs at the moment. Hopefully, by the end of the month, they will seem weightless because I'm growing stronger each day.

So my question is this? What are you putting on each morning: bitterness, unforgiveness, depression, pride, apathy, impatience? Sometimes, even as Christians, we try to fake it by putting on the Jesus is my Homeboy T-shirt. But are you really living like it? Jesus said that people will know my disciples if they love one another. Maybe it's time for some new clothes.