![[Photo of a Scripture verse]](https://www.deankwilson.com/Blog_images/Colossians_3_12.jpg)
| “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” |
| —Colossians 3:12 |
Have you ever arrived at some planned destination and realized you were woefully underdressed? Or, maybe you went to an event and realized you had misunderstood and overdressed. It’s important when we undertake an activity to have proper clothing.
When I first joined the fire department back in 1965, I had to attend a many-week course entitled “The Essentials of Firemanship.” Taught by a New York State certified instructor, this course provided the most basic information that a firefighter needed to have in order to operate at a fire in a safe manner. The first two lessons were all about protective clothing.
In the intervening 50 years, a great many changes have taken place in the nature and extent of the protective clothing that a firefighter must wear.
In the basement of my house, I have a complete set of what firefighters call “turnout gear” left over from the now long-ago days when we took our fire protection engineering trainees to the Hartford (CT) Fire Department Training Academy, so they could experience first hand what firefighters must go through at a working fire. This gear consists of a coat and pants made from a very special material, boots with an impenetrable sole and protective metal toe cap, a hood made from a fire retardant material, a sturdy helmet with face shield, and protective work gloves. In addition, I have a special flashlight with a very high intensity beam and a Personal Alert Safety System Device that signals a very loud audible tone if I were to fall to the ground and not move for relatively short period of time.
In our spiritual lives, it’s important that we also wear proper spiritual clothing suitable to the task we have as ambassadors of God’s mercy, love, and grace. Notice what the Apostle Paul writes in Colossians 3:12:
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
As we begin a new day, let’s make certain we put on the proper clothing, so that we may represent Christ very well all throughout the day. We will truly serve Him properly, if we do so.
