Clothe Yourself

Dear Sister,

Toddlers love the activity of dressing themselves. My daughter says, Mommy, I do it all myself! She runs into her room and shuts the door. It is always an adventure to see what she comes out wearing. A few minutes later, she runs out of her room with a proud smile on her face and arms outstretched. Her pink polka dot shirt is backwards, with her striped rainbow pants somehow put on in the right direction.

In the Bible, God has much to say in His Word about how we can clothe ourselves spiritually. Colossians 3:12-13 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 one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Another verse says, “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.” (Prov 31:25-26)

As a mom, I feel like I barely have time to put on my regular clothes before dressing the children. How am I supposed to find the time to clothe myself with things like patience, gentleness, and forgiveness when I can barely get a new pair of pants on for the day? How does one clothe oneself with such things as virtue and strength?

The answer to how we can clothe ourselves is not as hard as one might think. Firstly, it takes about one minute of surrender of our will and time. Secondly, it takes the power of our Heavenly Father. As the daughter of the High King, we have a Daddy who knows much more of how to clothe us than we do ourselves. Many times, we, like our little ones, say Daddy, I can do it all myself! We try to put on humility, gentleness, kindness, or forgiveness. To us, it seems we put these virtues in the right way, but in the end, we can put them on in a slightly backward direction. Our intentions end up falling short- our humility ultimately puts on so we look like “good” people or our kindness is self-serving. God says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matt 7:7) We are in need of asking; Daddy, I need your help getting dressed. Can you put compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience in me the right way? When we ask for these things, our heavenly Father is eagerly waiting at the door of our hearts to help us put on our spiritual clothes the right way for the day. What specifically can you ask God to clothe you with today?

Your worth is immeasurable. You have been bought at a price. You are loved.

Love,

Kayleen Moore