Daily Bread

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. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.

We long for peace in our hearts don't we? I know I do — that 'inner peace' and sense of contentment where we feel at one with God and others.

The problem is that things come along that throw us off track. People say things or do things, and we ourselves say or do things, that are far from compassionate, kind, humble, meek, or patient! For those of us in Christ, who are one with God and others, these bumps in our relationships with others feel huge and they affect us deeply. They create within us, an angst or disturbance in our being — and this can be reflected in our bodies (often in our tummies through pains or eating habits), our emotions or feelings, our thoughts, and through a sense of pain felt by the Holy Spirit.

Something that helps me, is when I feel this angst, it to try and be a little more objective, and see the angst is a pointer that something is wrong somewhere that needs fixing. It's the same with anger. When you feel anger, it is a pointer that there is an injustice. But... and here's the big 'but'... when we feel angst or anger, the onus is on us to do something about it — even if we are the injured party.

You see, when someone else causes those bumps in our relationships, we are not responsible for their behaviour, only our own. We cannot make them act with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. We cannot make them bear with us, forgive us, or love us — but we can. We can choose to 'clothe ourselves' with these things — not in a pious, holier-than-thou, superior way — but in a genuine Christlike way, and then, the peace of God will rule in our hearts.

Today, if someone has hurt you, take a deep breath and make the choice to love them. It's not going to be easy, but then, the way of Christ isn't easy, but it's the right way, and the way towards finding life for yourself — life in all its fullness.

Holy God
Thank you that you have chosen me
and that I am your beloved child.
Today, may I clothe myself with
compassion, kindness, humility,
meekness, and patience.
May I bear with others
and be ready to forgive
just as you have forgiven me.
Above all, give me a love
that is unconditional and uninhibited.