But now you must get rid of all such things: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. – Colossians 3:8-10
“It’s just not fair!” I complained to my husband. In the aftermath of having COVID for the week of Christmas and being unable to participate in my family’s Christmas merriment, nothing felt right. My week of holiday fun had been replaced with laying in bed fighting chills, a stuffy nose, and the isolation that COVID often brings. When the symptoms lifted my gratefulness was short-lived as I realized all the things I had missed out on.
In the letter to believers in Colossians, Paul reminds us that we should strip off the old way of doing life. Instead of anger and malice, we are called to clothe ourselves in love. Leaving behind complaining and fairness in the pursuit of servitude towards others, will be a task I struggle to accept until I leave this world! But what peace will we receive in return for releasing our anger?
When I think about Jesus, his example consistently turned our assumptions about justice on their head. I remember the parable of the workers’ in the vineyard where those who arrived last got the same pay as those who worked all day. Or the prodigal son who received a full blessing just like the faithful son who stayed and worked each day on his father’s estate.
This is one of the reminders of Lent. In light of our finite existence, what can we leave behind? What would it look like to forgive someone everything they did against us? In what way is God calling you to put on the new garments of love?
Healing One, I confess my anger and short sightedness. Forgive me. Clothe me in Your loving kindness. AMEN
Some Comfort and Joy was developed as a devotional resource that follows the rhythms and seasons of the liturgical year from an Anabaptist-Mennonite perspective.
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