Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 

~Colossians 3:12 NIV

I once took a trip to Europe and faced the dilemma of what to wear. Because the trip was two weeks long, I purchased a larger suitcase. I packed my clothes into that ginormous bag in case of rain, cold, heat, or wind. I was so proud of myself when the scale showed my luggage weighed under fifty pounds.

On the trip, we met a couple from Minnesota who carried two backpacks for five weeks. Five weeks! No losing luggage or fretting about what to wear. No heavy encumbrances. But my unwieldy suitcase did not serve me well in our cramped quarters. And the clothing? I didn’t use half of them. After all the deliberation, I had packed too much.

Clothing is a big deal in the Bible, too. But not our physical outfits. Instead, it is putting off things of our earthly nature and putting on the spiritual attributes and attitudes of Jesus. Repeatedly, Paul tells the church in Colossae to put off or, in more decisive terms, to “put to death” the old evil tendencies (3:5).

I caught myself on vacation wishing one particular man would stop using nasty language, but God convicted me of my own offensive tendencies. We’re to take off those distasteful clothes as we’d shed a dirty or stained outfit. We are then to clothe ourselves with the attitude and likeness of Jesus–not to make us look good but to make Him look good (not that He needs my help). My luggage has a combination lock, so only I can access my clothes. But our spiritual clothing is other-focused. We continually put on this clothing because we are always maturing, and others need to experience Jesus. 

One other piece of clothing Jesus gives us when we decide to follow Him is the robe of righteousness. This is not something we put on or take off. We are cloaked with this royal garment—always. With this robe, we face no dilemma about what to wear.

Let’s pack our life suitcases with spiritual clothing that mirrors Jesus’ image, not the items of our human nature. Today, before we step out the door or even get out of bed, let’s put on garments of compassion, kindness, and most importantly, love, for we are royalty, and we serve the King of kings.

And on my next vacation? I think I’ll go light on the physical clothes and take a ginormous bag of spiritual apparel instead.

Make sure you are wearing your spiritual apparel. 

Father, show me what clothes I need to put away for good. Then, help me to clothe myself with Your kindness, patience, and love.

Genre: Non-fiction

Copyright 2025: The Dilemma of What to Wear: Sally Cressman: All Rights Reserved.