Putting on New Clothes

Larry Sorrells,

Rockville, Trinity UMC

Almost all of us enjoy putting on new clothes. It makes us feel improved. It helps us bring out our best. It is nice to help us have those new clothes to show off our best features. The Apostle Paul, in Colossians 3 speaks about putting on new clothes, the new clothes of Christ. When he speaks of those new clothes, he is referring to new attitudes in living, and putting on the clothing of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, tolerance, and forgiveness. But over all these things he says, we are to put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

It is unfortunate that many people have grown up in what could be labelled as a dysfunctional home, where parents are constantly fighting and are facing personal issues that distract and limit their positive interactions with their children. Statistically speaking, children who grow up in dysfunctional homes most often end up repeating their parents’ mistakes. So, the dysfunctional pattern continues from generation to generation.

It is sad that many people are told, “you won’t amount to anything.” Many are looked at as if they don’t have a chance because of issues they have faced for a long time, but I am a big believer in change. I believe that people who say such things to others do not consider a conversion, a changed heart brought about by Christ truly entering the heart of the individual. I believe change is necessary and I believe, that through Christ, real change does occur.

All we have do to is look at the life of the person who authored the book of Colossians, the Apostle Paul. His life is an amazing story of transformation. He radically changed who he was. He went from persecuting the church to preaching the gospel. People were astonished by the change Paul underwent. There was truly something that changed Paul’s heart, and I believe it was encountering Jesus. Just like the changes we see in Paul, the change in our heart can be full and complete through a true encounter with Christ. Let us all seek such a change, so we can be our best, putting on the new clothing of Christ in our lives. Blessings.