Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. (Colossians 3:12, 14)

I’ve been six feet tall since I was 13 years old. I grew up 60 miles from the nearest mall, too, so you can imagine the challenges finding pants that fit correctly and comfortably presented! I spent many a year wearing jeans that were too short, and it was a source of stress for my teenage self. Later in high school I tagged along with friends to the mall and discovered a store where jeans were sold in longer than usual lengths. After wearing ill-fitting jeans for so long, putting on a pair in the right measurements was--indulge my dramatics--life changing! 

When we are made new in Christ our eyes are opened to a better way of life, and we’re invited to take on new behaviors--to put on “clothing” made especially for us. 

Compassion is your coziest sweater; kindness is your favorite t-shirt. Humility is a warm winter coat, gentleness is a fuzzy pair of socks, and patience your most comfortable pair of shoes. Love ties it all together: it’s that pair of jeans that go with everything and fit perfectly every single time. All are custom made for you with the Creator’s label sewn right in!

Right before Paul introduces his readers to their “new wardrobe” in Christ, he tells them they are called to “put to death” the ill-fitting behaviors of the past (v 5-9). What do you suppose I did with all of my old jeans? I didn’t keep them around for old times’ sake! I got rid of them to make room for the new jeans. I even went so far as to--again with the dramatics--vow to never wear a pair of ill-fitting jeans again!

We “put to death” old behaviors much the same, and the goal is to never revive them. Just as new threads can feel constricting the first few times worn, our new “Christ clothes” might feel uncomfortable at first. I test drove my new jeans around the house awhile before I wore them to school, because the rightly-sized pair felt awkward after wearing the too short jeans for so long! They also felt just right, and exactly what I was looking for...but I didn’t know that before I found them. Former behaviors are comfy and familiar, though ill-fitting. The new life God calls us to is foreign at first, but it’s also exactly what we’re looking for...before we even realize it.  

As we get closer to this special 2020 edition of Thanksgiving in post-election COVID land, let’s be mindful of how our wardrobes are fitting. Are the too-tight shoes of greed causing blisters as you go about your day? Are you feeling the raggedy sock of anger slipping down your heel as you walk? Is the itchy sweater of idolatry making you sweat? Take them off, and dress yourself in the wardrobe God made just for you.