It Matters What You Wear

Put on the Lord Jesus Christ. —Romans 13:14

It’s so easy to “wear” our loved one’s offenses. I can tell I’m doing this when I try to affect some kind of change in them or when I can’t pray for their blessing.

But when I clothe myself with Christ, I have everything I need to navigate the complex waters of hurtful relationships, even during times of suffering. When I “put on Christ,” I experience supernatural compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, love, and forgiveness (Col. 3:12–14).

As we “live and move and have our being” in Christ (Acts 17:28), we find grace to own our failings, to root out resentment, and to pursue peace as far as we can (Rom. 12:18). We learn when to hold fast to a relationship and when to let it go. When to be silent and when to speak truth in love. We find freedom in humbling ourselves and in learning how to rejoice when we’re misunderstood or maligned (1 Pet. 4:14; Matt. 5:11). We’re dressed in Christ’s perfect love, and that perfect love casts out the fear that often drives our relationships (1 John 4:18).

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“When We Can’t Fix the Relationship: Hope for Hurting Hearts” (ReviveOurHearts.com/blog)

Scripture taken from The CSB