Colossians 3:12-15 “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.”
A few weeks ago our world turned upside down due to Covid-19. The new norm is social distancing. We are encouraged to stay home and stay away from friends, neighbors and those we love. I found myself falling into a black pit. To counter-balance the bad news flooding my environment, I made a list on ALEXA called “I’M THANKFUL FOR.” One item on the list was: “more time with Terry.” As most would probably agree, spending TOO much time with any one person (even though they are the one we love the most) can be challenging. But my thought was: this is a time to build a stronger relationship with each other because we are not busy going here, there and everywhere, but at home with each other.
Yesterday, I came across Colossians 3 in my morning Bible reading. It spoke to me further concerning this blessing of spending “more time at home.” Paul lists eight things we need to practice in our relationships: “compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, bearing with one another, forgiveness, and love.” What a challenge; yet what a comprehensive measure of how to develop a deep and abiding intimate relationship with the ones we love.
Then Paul continues writing in verse 15 admonishing us to allow God’s peace to rule in our hearts. And we are commanded to be thankful. While we are forced to practice social distancing with the general public, we can draw close to those with whom we live. For me that is my husband. For you that may also include your children, or a roommate, or whomever. But I am encouraged to realize this is a time for me to develop a better relationship with my husband—the one person whom God gave me to love the most. God’s recipe for developing that better relationship; God’s blueprint for social or relational success is summarized so well in these three verses. Treat others with compassion, kindness…and love. As for how we are to be: we are to be at peace and give God thanks.
