It's what I prayed for

Colossians 3:12  "Therefore, as God's chosen people holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience."

I admitted to my friend that I prayed for more patience.  Her response was "Why did you do that?" and then laughed.  She knew already knew my answer.  I am uncovering what godly patience looks like.

It looks like the belly of an undone kitchen, being renovated into something new.  My heart is in the middle of God's patient renovation, He is constructing new patience within me.

The picture above is not my home, but a stripped-down view of what is happening in my life right now.  I am smack dab in the middle of a mess.  A 24-hour, continual mess of a kitchen renovation.  Most days it seems there is no end in sight.  Other days there is a slight glimmer of hope.

One thing is for sure.  I feel displaced.  Like most women, even if you don't like to cook, your kitchen is your space.  Your domain, your place of wellness and where you are at home.  When you are taken out of it, you feel disoriented like there is no clean space in any inch of your house.

Ask anyone of us, she will tell you.

It's kind of a dismal picture actually.  And here I am admitting to you, this little momma in her corner of the country, that I am learning some godly patience.  I don't like God's lessons in this messy middle of His patience.

I am leaning into His everlasting patience with me though.

Living life outside our comfort zones never is comfortable.  It's never convenient and certainly isn't easy.  When you pray for more of God, He doesn't just hand it to you on a clean lacy laden silver platter.  No, He gives it abundantly to you in ways where you can learn more of Him in the circumstances that are around you.

I prayed to learn godly patience as God gives it.  God has given me a extreme lesson in exhibiting godly patience in the life opportunities around me.  One slow stroke of the paint brush, one slow turn of a new screw, one slow plank of a new floor.  One slow patient process.

I have to trust His patient process.

The lessons in this are a slow progression towards Him.  And if my "dreamy-redesign-on-a-dime" kitchen never gets done, may I always know the extent of His true patience with me, so that, I may exhibit His patience in the most loving way.

Appreciate your comfortable places, you never know when God will bring a new lesson to construct or renovate in you.  

What To Wear

I wonder if it shows?  I hope it's obvious.  

Brittnay was my friendly Wal-Mart associate. She was pleasant enough, but i sensed that morning she dressed in worry.  I overheard her talking about her brother who had been fighting fires recently.  I saw worry on her face, I saw the need for Jesus on her heart.  So I handed her an invitation that I had received in church that morning and said "if you are looking for a church home, might I recommend mine."  

I was wearing Christ that day.

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.  Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.  And be thankful."  Colossians 3:12-15

We should don Christ-like garments everyday. There will be someone you meet that is searching for answers, there will be someone who has a need for Jesus.  And I don't want to just dress the part, I want to live it.  I want everything I say and do to point to Him.  

Ever wonder if we wore Christ-like kindness, gentleness, patience, and self-control how different our world would be?  How would you act differently?  

If we wore peace, we might desire God's quiet and not be distracted with this world.  

If we wore grace, we would forgive others quicker for their faults.  

If we put on goodness we would desire others to be more successful than ourselves. 

If we wore love, we would crave Jesus more than ever before.  
If we wore faithfulness, we would trust God completely in everything.

Wearing love, grace and peace are far more difficult than zipping up jeans or buttoning a shirt.  It's spending time with and allowing the Spirit to bring His fruit to your closet.   It's putting on your big-heart pants and clothing ourselves in these grown-up, mature Christ like characteristics that mirror His heart, share His mind and reflect God's change in our lives.  

It's dressing for success.  It's what I want to wear daily.  How about you?