Dress for Success

You’re late for church again, and as you hurry toward the youth building, you spot a girl in your group with her arms full. The large flat box she’s carrying looks like a donut box. Trying to buy popularity again, you think, slowing down. You’ve watched her for several weeks. She was new to the church, but everyone knew her name by now—especially the boys. She always brought food, and they swarmed around her at every meeting. You understand that she wants to be accepted, but in your opinion, that’s not the way to go about it. Most of the girls could barely stand her now.

You see her trying to balance the box of donuts and her Bible and get the door open. Maybe she’ll spill them on the ground, you think hopefully. Then you hear the unmistakable nudge from God. If she were in a wheelchair, wouldn’t you hurry and open the door for her? Do you have to like a person or feel superior in order to be kind to someone? Ouch. You decide to "put on kindness" and hurry to open the door. You even carry her Bible for her as you enter the youth room together.

"Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." (Colossians 3:12 NIV) The next time you’re dressing for success, give less thought to your color scheme and more thought to the character clothing you want to wear. Envision yourself dressing in a shirt of kindness, a hat of patience, a coat of gentleness, a skirt of humility, and shoes of peace. Now that makes a godly fashion statement!