What are you wearing?

I confess:  I like clothes.  I wish they would magically shrink down my body to my fantasy size, but I realize that unless I stand in front of the right kind of funhouse mirror, this won't happen.

I wear a lot of black clothing, for the aforementioned fantasy-but-not-yet-there-size reason.

As I go deeper with this thought, though, I wonder if I wear the following:  compassion?  kindness?  humility? gentleness?  patience?

I'm sure I have days where the Holy Spirit directs all my steps and I'm listening, and I bet I look pretty good in most of those clothing items. 

On other days, they might just be accessories to my moody, angry, or entitled self.

Still other days...God help me, they might be absent, altogether. 

This past week has been a difficult one for me.  Not tragically so, but still...I've been blue.  During one of my bluest days, I happened to get into a little car accident.  It sounded way louder than it was, and praise Jesus, no one was hurt.  In fact, there was only a slight scratch on the other car.  The other driver and I quickly exchanged information, and were on our way.  But what struck me here was God's kindness in this woman.  She took my information, and told me that she would wash her car, (rainy/muddy day) and would not call my insurance company unless she really saw any damage. Furthermore, she said that she'd call me if she was going to report any damage, so I wouldn't have to worry/wonder.  Today, she left a message on my cell phone stating that she only saw a little scratch, and that her car had several of those, already.  She felt no need to report any damage.  Further, she hoped that I had gotten over the shock that day, and wished me well.  I felt compelled to call her back and just thank her for her kindness.  So, I did.  Got her machine.  Thanked her for just being so gentle with me, and reiterated that I was so grateful she wasn't hurt.  Told her that this was a difficult week for me, having just put my little dog to sleep, and was remembering my mom, as Tuesday was anniversary of her death.  Heaven knows, I'm too much of a sharer.  Thirteen years later, and I still seem to have a rough day.  No matter what I do.  But I digress...

Guess what?  She called me back!  And we spoke in person.  The woman noted that she thought it was interesting that I noticed/commented on her kindness because she wasn't always nice.  She told me that when she began studying her Bible, her life changed. She had the freedom to be kind, and wanted to give credit to her Creator.  Full disclosure:  She is a Jehovah's Witness.  I realize that is not a Christian religion.  However, I know that we share 97% of the same views.  Are there differences?  Yes!  Big ones.  But that's truly not the focus of my post.  My focus is this:  God blessed me...put me in his lap and pushed the hair out of my eyes and hugged me...through her kindness. 

Not only did He spare our lives and the cars, allowing only a scrape, He KNEW I didn't need another headache. He KNEW I felt lonely, and reminded me that I was never alone.  He gave me His comfort and tender mercy.

And He gave me the urgency to remember that I was chosen.  To remember that since He loves me so much, I must love others as He loves them, no.matter.what.  To remember that the most flattering outfit I could wear will look cheap and ugly unless I first put on His compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  (my paraphrase, Col. 3:12)

I'm going to meditate upon this verse, because there are so many times, when I might see a snarky remark on facebook, see a political smear campaign--either party, or just have a bad day, and I really want to join in the negative fun. (oxymoron)  Rather than giving into the temptation to strip down to my human nakedness in nasty retort/gossip, I need to consider that I am an ambassador of Christ (2 Cor 5:20), clothed in the virtues of the Holy Spirit. 

So...what are you wearing? :)