Deconstruction: The Laundry Room–The Church Is Messy - Friday
Today’s Verse
Colossians 3:12-14
”So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.“ (MSG)
Sort, wash, dry, fold—Laundry is a cycle of tedium. But after all that work, sometimes you still have to iron…Even clean clothes can have wrinkles.
Isn’t it the same with us? Even as believers, we still struggle with sin and imperfection. That’s where our “Heavenly Ironing Board” comes in.
First, we turn to God’s Word, like an iron, smoothing out the creases in our lives. As Hannah talked about last week from 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work”. Secondly, the church, the place where most of the ironing happens. We help each other, we offer encouragement, support, and accountability.
Then, finally, the clothes are ready to be put on. We’ve won the laundry game!
I bring that up because there’s a passage in Colossians, one of my favorites, that talks about what we wear. The Bible would phrase it as “clothe yourself”, which sounds elegant and sophisticated. I like how Eugene Peterson translated it in The Message:
”So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.“ (Colossians 3:12-14)
Those things are what it’s all about. Those are the fruit of a life that has been washed by the blood and ironed out through God’s Word: compassion, humility, disciplined, quick to forgive.
Add to that list, all the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).
And don’t we all want more of this in our life? But how do we bear that kind of fruit?
Do I just go in my closest and take it off the rack? “Today I’m gonna be more humble. Or patience looks nice, I’ll wear that”…or is there a process I have to go through?
Fruit and how it grows is the exact illustration that Jesus gives us for how we will experience change in our own lives. Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)
This is important because it is the way God has set it up. It’s a process, not a quick fix. It’s the process he’s used for everyone throughout history and it’s all over the pages of Scripture. It is the path for change in our own lives…and the lives of others.
And don’t be surprised when the change is slow, and the need for change is never-ending! Growth takes time. As much as I wish it could be instant, it isn’t. Let’s trust the process, knowing that God is working in us to create something beautiful.
REFLECTION
Let’s approach this weekend with grace, both for ourselves and for others. Let’s remember that we are all works in progress. Lord, help us to be patient with ourselves and others as we let Your Word work to iron out the wrinkles in our lives.
