Can you feel it? It’s in the air and on the airwaves. Another holiday season has begun and with it, party after party. How many parties will you attend this year? I have three at the moment, but that could change. Of course, each party requires that I dress up, which means I need to answer the question, “What will I wear?”
Why do we devote so much time and attention to an outfit or dress? It’s pretty simple really, we don’t want to stand out as being over or underdressed. We want to fit in, to blend in with those around us. To that end, we spend hours shopping for just the right dress and shoes to match— even if the shoes make our feet hurt. Just like when we were little, we play dress-up, only this time it’s for real.
When I was thinking about what I’m going to wear to the Christmas parties I’ll be attending, a thought crossed my mind. “You’re spending a lot of time dressing for these parties. How much time do you spend “dressing” yourself as a Christian, in preparation for the banquet you’ll be attending in heaven?” Crack! Wow, did you hear the sound of that two-by-four hitting me upside the head? Because I surely felt it.
The parties we will attend here on earth don’t begin to compare to that banquet in heaven. Yet we spend a lot more time fussing over what to wear to our earthly parties, than our heavenly one. How do we get ready for it? What are we supposed to wear? What’s appropriate? If you’re like me, you may not really know what to wear. Well, thankfully we have a very loving God who has provided the answers for us.
In Colossians 3:12-14, scripture says, Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, 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. Do you want to be ready and dressed appropriately to fit in with Jesus and the others at the banquet? Then start preparing now.
It’s said that the clothes make the man or the woman, so get that compassion out of your drawer, take some kindness off the hanger, and grab some humility out of your closet, along with a bit of gentleness and patience. Don’t forget the forgiveness, it’s an important piece of your wardrobe. And, since it’s getting cold outside, don’t forget your overcoat of love – it covers a lot of things and really completes the outfit.
Jesus embodies all of these things, so in short, put on Christ each and every morning of your life. Dress appropriately for whose you are, and you’ll be ready whenever the time for that banquet arrives. And in the meantime, you’ll be the best-dressed person wherever you go.
Excellent! Keeping the focus on what is truly important! II Cor. 4:18.
Thank you, Nancy. With all that is going on around us, I think it’s even more important now to fix our eyes on the eternal, as you mentioned with 2 Corinthians 4:18. If more of us would dress according to Colossians 3:12-14, what a better world this would be, and a lot more of us would be ready for eternity.