Colossians 3:12-15 contains a beautiful portrait of what a Christian life should be. There are several aspects of our character that should serve as ornamentation for who we are: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, and--most of all--love. The one thing that all of these share in common is that they require conscious decisions. It takes effort to be compassionate, kind, humble, gentle, etc. Paul uses these to describe someone who has clothed themselves with Christian character. Being dressed and prepared requires that action of dressing and preparing.
In contrast, the life unclothed requires no such preparation. We could make a similar list for what describes a person who has not put on Christian character: uncompassionate, unkind, arrogant, gruff, impatient, unforgiving, and--most of all--apathetic. These things require no skill and no forethought.
If we are to overcome these, we are to let "the peace of Christ rule in your hearts...and be thankful (Col. 3:15)." That little phrase at the end says a lot. It is one thing to curb our behaviors. We can become less reactive and more prudent in what we say and do. But we are invited to change at the heart level. In every situation, be thankful. When people show you kindness and acceptance, be thankful. When you get the promotion, get the contract, and achieve the win, be thankful. But when you feel challenged, opposed, and defeated, continue to show the character of one who has wrapped yourself in Christian character. Let Christ's peace, and not your gut reaction, be what rules in your heart. Trust that God's strength will become even clearer because of your time of weakness. And be thankful.
A thankful heart on the inside begins the transformation of who you are on the outside.
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