Our Spiritual Wardrobe

By: Mae Archila

Monday, March 10, 2025

...clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. Colossians 3:12-14 (NLT)

Growing up, my mother taught me many skills, and one of them was sewing. She began by showing me how to use patterns. I remember cutting out sleeves and collars and attaching them to the main garment with seams. We used all of them to create many different styles and fashions. I remember my mom emphasizing the finished garment’s beauty relied on how well it was put together. She also told me the inside construction was specifically designed to maintain the garments shape, allowing it to last a long time.

Our spiritual wardrobe is similar to those garments mom and I made. When we ask Christ to be our savior, the Holy Spirit enters, transforming us on the inside. In a way, what's inside us is what defines us. By God’s grace we become a new creation, and the Holy Spirit "maintains our shape" spiritually. Those characteristics described in Colossians 3 are designed to fit us to God’s will and purposes. When we're clothed in God's Holy garments, we glorify Him on the inside and the outside! Our old clothes were stained with sin, and they were made using the world's patterns. Now we're clothed with garments patterned by Christ.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--His good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

We aren't just clothed with kindness, compassion, and patience, we are also commanded to clothe ourselves with forgiveness. God's Word says we must forgive because the Lord has forgiven us. Forgiveness transforms us and deepens our connection with Christ. Unforgiveness inhibits our spiritual growth and stains our spiritual garments. Colossians 3:14 ends with a reminder, telling us our spiritual wardrobe is held together and made complete by love. Our love for God "seams" the virtues from Colossians 3:12 together, making it a complete garment.

Love God & Love people... It doesn't get much simpler than that!