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In the last thirteen years of being a stay-at-home mom to three boys, one thing I’ve learned is that such a life requires a realistic mentality toward my wardrobe. Jeans get too tight six months into a pregnancy, blouses get stained with mashed avocado one year later, and cashmere is traded for fabrics that don’t need to be hand-washed. Currently, my days revolve around homeschooling, meal-making, ball-catching, and bathroom-cleaning. If I wake up on a Tuesday morning and put on a silk gown and four-inch heels, it’s likely that I won’t be very fruitful that day because that outfit does not match the reality of who and where I am.
Paul’s desire was for the Colossian church to grasp the same concept when it came to living the Christian life. They needed a better understanding of the heavenly realities that defined what sort of “clothing” their lives ought to be adorned by, clothing that would proclaim and promote what was already true about them.
The chief reality that Paul wants them to grasp isn’t hard to spot, because Paul repeats it over and over again: They are in Christ. They were buried with, raised with, and made alive together with Him (Col. 2:12–13). They are intimately and eternally united to Him, not just theoretically but in a way that should be practically evidenced in the outworking of their daily lives. And if they are in Christ, they are new creations (see 2 Cor. 5:17) who have already “put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator” (Col. 3:10). The more they come to comprehend these realities, the more their spiritual “clothing” on the outside will agree, as the Holy Spirit transforms them moment by moment, day after day.
Paul lists several pieces that they may find hanging in their proverbial closets: sexual immorality, evil desire, covetousness, anger, slander, and obscene talk. Like a candid host on a makeover show, Paul asks: “Why are you still wearing those jeans from high school? They look terrible. Get rid of them!” Such clothing belonged to another life, and a man or woman united to Christ should no longer feel comfortable and at home in it.
What, then, ought to be in their wardrobe?
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. . . . And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. (Col. 3:12, 14)
These aren’t the only things that Christians will wear, but they won’t be wearing anything less.
Christian, what are you wearing today? If you feel unhappy, uncomfortable, and unfruitful, could it be because what you are wearing—your words, attitudes, responses, and actions—does not match the reality of where you are and who you are? May we ask God often to expand our grasp of heavenly realities and grant us grace and wisdom to dress accordingly.