Since becoming a wife, almost fourteen years ago, I have read and reread Colossians 3:12-14 many, many times. I memorized it, quoted it, prayed it over myself, prayed it over my family and my home. My desire was that my home would be a place that was full of peace and harmony. That my family would be patient with one another, always doing their best to speak with grace and kindness on their lips. That our home would be so full of love for one another as a family that you could sense God’s presence in our home 10 miles away.
Then reality hit and I found out that even though my husband and I were now one, we didn’t always think and act as one. I discovered that putting myself aside would be a lot harder than I originally thought it would be. As our family grew from just us two, to three, and four…and then six I was stretched thin and then thinner. As I became stretched, my patience was frequently teetering on one single, thin thread and my desperation to be a wife and mom with a quiet and gentle spirit grew. To have a home the reflected Colossians 3:12-14 seemed an impossible goal but a goal I had none the less.
Over the years I have tried, and tried, and failed and failed. I just couldn’t get a grip on my raw emotions. I finally came to a place where I decided enough was enough. I was seeing and hearing my unkind behavior and words being echoed in my kids and I knew that if I wanted their bad behaviors to end, it needed to end in me first. After all they were only learning it from me.
This past New Years Eve I printed these forms off for my family to fill out, of course changing the year at the bottom to 2014. A habit I wanted to break was becoming unglued. I no longer wanted to unleash “natural disasters” upon my family and my home. I was more than serious about becoming a woman who reflected Christ to her family. More than reflect him I wanted to be Christ with skin on. I wanted to be a woman of peace, a woman with a quiet and gentle spirit, a woman who speaks with wisdom and gentleness. I began by digging into Colossians 3:12-14 more than I had in the past and God showed me new things and gave me new hope as I read the words…
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which is the bond of perfection.
Considering Lilies 