Window Shopper

Colossians 3:12-15, “As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.”

Upon my initial reading of this verse, I thought to myself, “Isn’t it great that Paul loved clothing as much as I do”? I have been trying to picture this scenario for the average woman, as we walk into a department store, up the escalator and saunter into our favorite clothes area.

Immediately, things start to pop out at us and we travel to them, seemingly effortlessly. My mother’s favorite color for clothing is lime green, she moves faster in a department store than anyone that I have ever seen, so off to any lime green sweater vests she would go. I am trying to spiff up my church clothes, so I would be off to the button up shirts and slacks (I am horribly predictable).

What would the clothing of compassion look like in our department store? How about kindness, humility, meekness and patience…what about love? Would we be subject to the endless row of sweatpants with the fruits of the spirit embroidered on the rear end? Would it be emblazoned across the drop neck tees, perhaps with glitter? Maybe it would be hanging from a bright golden necklace…unmistakable to strangers that we do indeed possess these amazing fruits. Is this good enough, or is it window shopping the Spirit?

I found a litmus test for myself in these verses. Verse 13 tells me that “putting on” compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience can be seen through my bearing of others. The way that I deal with others tells me what I need to know, like dealing with the lady at the cash register, or the young girl that just laid down on the floor screaming for a new pair of humility sweatpants…or my husband.

What is happening in my heart and head can tell me if I am window shopping. Here is a big one; I can look at the way that I am willing to forgive the past and present mistakes of those around me, by loosing them on earth and laying them at the foot of the cross for Christ to work in their lives. This tells me if I am a spiritual window shopper.

And love…it leads to perfect harmony (Love = Perfect Harmony). How many of us have perfect harmony? Do we let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts? I say that again…let the peace of Christ rule in my heart.

I come across people, all of the time, window shopping for peace. I want peace. That cannot be window shopped; it is Christ living in our hearts and taking the hits that confuse us and leave us spiritually bankrupt at the end of the day. Why? Because we are His, holy and beloved. Holy and beloved.

Thank you Jesus for making us your beloved. Thank you for taking the hits for me today. Take us away from window shopping so that we can experience you. I pray that each of you will let the peace of God reign in your lives.

Preceding or Following?

Obedience has been my catch phrase for months. I sit in women's groups and tell my friends how God is calling for my obedience. I almost hesitate to say it one more time, because even I get sick of my repetition. I have to talk about it, though, because I find it amazing, and so like Him, that instead of crushing me into the jaws of, "I don't want to go there", He is courting me to His throne of grace.

I was speaking to a new and already dear friend of mine, yesterday, about a specific area of obedience creeping around the corner of my comfort. All that I can say is that God is using suburbia. I live in a typical neighborhood. We have an eight foot cinder block fence that runs around the back yard. It provides us with protection from the dogs getting out and the world getting in...a truly symbiotic relationship.

Each morning I sit in the yard studying and taking in the springtime; and each morning, breaking the coveted silence, I have heard a neighbor. The initial response has been wishing that I lived on an estate with no one for miles, but then I hear her words. Honestly, they are messy. There is so much distress and pain that I hear in each explicit phrase. Something is happening in her life, and God wants me to hear it. My heart is full for her, and yet, I hesitate to move toward her.

So, I have sat staring at this verse, listening to the broken silence. 1 Timothy 5:20, “The sins of some people are conspicuous and precede them to judgment, while the sins of others follow them there.” Isn’t that awesomely true? I have had messy. I have made it all by myself, sins to precede me like a parade traveling down the street and at the end there is me dejected and pitiful.

I have also had, “sin parades”, forced on me, which is like being shoved into the middle of someone else’s parade, perhaps riding a float. The truth is I am not that fond of parades.

I am told that I will walk into judgment, and whether my parade precedes me or follows me, it is going to show up; and, so will my neighbor’s. So, this catch phrase of obedience is in play today. How will I meet God and obey him? Can I bring my own package of baby wipes?

Reflecting on His character and His word gives me this thought: my act of obedience is to help my neighbor get as much of her parade behind her as possible. It will make it easier for us to run to the throne of grace on that day, don’t you think? That is really what we are doing for each other. Emptying ourselves out to become useful to Him, and in doing so we get to encourage each other to the Day of Judgment, without having to push aside the baton twirlers and tubas.

So, pray for me as I open a messy door. I, also, pray for the messiness and sin parades in your life. I pray that you will be in front of your parade, and uninhibited, running to the throne of grace.

My husband Dwight is SO talented and he is going to contribute to some of these posts. This is the imagery that he was given, titled "The Sin Parade". Click for a larger view. I think that he will follow a day behind, so watch for them.