Living With Your Familyনমুনা

DRESS YOURSELF FOR THE DAY

One of the best things about this quarantine has got to be lounging around in comfortable clothes. No dressing up for school, no worrying about what to wear, just sweatpants and a t-shirt. All. Day. Long. It’s wonderful, up until the point your little siblings are putting pictures of you on their IG story and Mom is yelling from the opposite side of the house that you look like a slob. You think to yourself… “What did I do to deserve this? Why is everyone trying to annoy me?” Now before you blow up on your little sibling and stuff their face into the couch or say something to your mom that you’ll regret, I want you to think on something else.

Maybe the problem is that you didn’t get fully dressed for your day. Sounds weird, but stick with me. As Jesus followers, we’ve been told to look different. And one of the most obvious ways to look different is to dress different. I don’t mean head into your closet and throw on a long tee that goes to your knees with the tightest pants to match. No…always no! Instead, Jesus commands us to clothe ourselves with attributes that align our hearts with his.

In Colossians 3 verse 12 we're reminded that we are dearly loved by God. We are loved by Him not because of anything we have to offer, but because we have given our lives over to him. Isn’t it amazing to know that no matter who you are or what you’ve done that Jesus still loves you? Now that love you experience from Jesus transforms your life and changes how you approach each day. As you continue reading, you see a challenge to clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and love, so that in all circumstances you are able to respond the same way Jesus would if he was in your situation. 

Wherever you're at right now, and however annoyed or frustrated you may be with your family members, remember that you are all facing this COVID crisis together. Do you want to spend these next days, weeks, and months being annoyed, frustrated, and angry? Or would you rather be filled with compassion, kindness, and gentleness? The choice is yours!

Every morning as you wake up this week, take one minute to dress yourself for the day. Ask God to clothe you in compassion, kindness, humility, patience, and love as you interact with your family that day.