Clothed in Love

Paul speaks of character as clothing. Since God's people are chosen, holy and loved, he says, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Clothing is something you choose each morning, and so is character. He then names the hard middle of community life: bearing with one another and forgiving whoever has a complaint, as the Lord forgave you. Above all, put on love, which binds everything together in harmony. Notice the order. Identity comes first, we are already loved, and behavior flows from that. Most of us know whose face comes to mind when we read the word forgive. That person may never apologize. Forgiveness is still a decision to stop carrying the debt. Today, pray by name for the person you find hardest to forgive, and choose one kind action toward someone close to you that reflects the garment of love.