Filthy Rags

I am amazed sometimes at how God literally will put a bullseye on something we need to work on. Our ladies Bible study has been dealing with the issue of anger. We have been watching S.M. Davis' series on anger. Yesterday was our study night. That morning I read my devotional and was just blown away. The verse was Colossians 3:12.


12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

The NIV uses the word clothe instead of put on. The devotional I was reading was relating this passage to what people see us wearing. Not physical clothing but spiritual clothing. I can wake up in the morning and choose to put on compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience. That is what I want to do. Too often though I put on impatience, anger, wrath, and all the other things that I desire to get rid of in my life like selfishness and pride. When I put on these things I am literally putting on filthy rags. That is what I am showing my children. I am teaching them to put on filth. What an image. Whenever I get angry or impatient I am showing my children filth. I desire above all else to show my husband,my children, and my God the clothing of a follower of God. I desire to let compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience reign in my life. It is a choice I need to make each morning before my feet hit the floor. I need to choose to put on these things in the middle of the day when I am tempted to put on my filthy clothes.
I am reminded of the Febreeze commercials where the people are blindfolded. They are taken to places that are disgusting and filthy and they are asked what they smell. They smell the febreeze all over the place and none of the filth. That is how my filthy clothes of pride and anger are. I have them on a lot but no one knows. I hide and mask it. I think we are all good at covering up those parts of our life that we don't want anyone to see. The bad thing is we hide it from strangers and acquaintances but the ones we love the most see it and are often the recipients of our anger and impatience and general filth. Shouldn't the ones we love get to see the compassion and love and kindness more than the people we may not even know.
I determine to let my husband and children get the good things in my life. I want them to know without a doubt that they have my love. I don't want to be remembered for my filthy clothes. I want to be remembered by the good things I put on every day. Yes. it's hard. Especially when I have been putting on this filth for years. I am working hard to study the Bible and glean information from those who have been where I am. I want to change. Not for my husband and children, but for my grandchildren and the generation that will come after me. How will I be remembered? By my filth. I pray that this will not be the case. Pray for me as I endeavor each day to put on the clothing of love and peace and patience and understanding.