How to Dress for Success

As we transition into this New Year, I thought we could consider tips for dressing successfully-but as you can tell from the verse above, this isn’t the way we typically think about how we should clothe ourselves. In the world we live in, success is often identified by a designer dress, a finely cut suit, or expensive accessories. And we’ve been “told” by society that if we hope to get ahead in life, we’d better dress the part.

Now I’m not saying that looking nice isn’t important, and I would be the first to admit that I have a weakness for cute clothes, snazzy shoes, and pretty purses. But the Lord reminds us in Colossians that there’s so much more we should be wrapping ourselves up in each and every day of our lives. Let’s take a closer look at each of these:

1. Compassion: this isn’t an ordinary “Oh, I feel for you” type of emotion. This word actually comes the Latin compati, which translates “to bear or suffer with.” In other words, it’s a deep empathy that urges us to want to bear the other person’s burden-and to help in some way.
2. Kindness: According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, this word defines a state of being where “wanting and liking to do good things” and bringing happiness to others are the norm rather than the exception. Imagine how much better life would be if we all worked on this one attribute alone!
3. Humility: this descriptor about being humble makes even more sense when we look back at its Latin origin, humus, which is the word for earth. After all, nothing gets more basic, or lowlier, than the ground that we walk upon! This is the state Christ was born into when He left the wonders of Heaven for Planet Earth, and also how He chose to live while He was here.
4. Gentleness: I love the synonyms for this word- “delicate, light, mellow, mild, nonabrasive, soft, soothing, and tender.” The archaic meaning of this attribute included “chivalrous.”
5. Patience: the dictionary helps us understand why this term is also a noun that relates to someone receiving medical care. In other words, someone who is patient is also “able to remain calm and not become annoyed when waiting for a long time or when dealing with problems or difficult people.”

Which attribute of God’s version of “dressing for success” do you feel is your greatest strength? Which one would you like to improve upon during this new year of life? Why not add compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience to your resolutions for 2015? After all, you are holy in God’s eyes, and He’d like to wrap you up in His love-the kind of love that changes you from the inside out!