When I was a girl, my mom used to make a lot of my clothes for me. She was a skilled seamstress and enjoyed making beautiful items for me to wear. Getting dressed in garments that had been made with so much love and care made me feel loved and cherished.

One of my favorite things that my mom made was a beautiful pink formal for prom. We picked out the pattern and the fabrics together and she toiled over that dress for weeks. The material was filmy and delicate, requiring much concentration and patience to get it just right. Each button down the back had to be sewn on by hand, as did the ribbon on the cuffs and other portions of the dress. It really was a masterpiece. When I wore it, I felt like a princess.

Today, my mom no longer makes my clothes for me, but I still have the opportunity to be well-dressed. Not always in the natural, but in the spiritual sense.

That’s because my Daddy has created beautiful garments, fit for a princess, for me to wear and has told me to get dressed!

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 whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.   Colossians 3:12-14

Now when I get dressed in the morning, I choose to put on beautiful spiritual clothing: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. These may be invisible to the human eye, but they are evident in my character. Unfortunately, it is also evident when I forget or choose not to wear them!

When I am clothed in such a manner, I am a blessing to my husband, children and others. And that is a blessing to God (and to me). I am dressed as His daughter, a princess, and I am beautiful. Isn’t that what most little girls dream of? (I know I dreamed of that…and still do desire to be found beautiful!)

Today, let’s get dressed in the beautiful garments God has provided. Let’s be the princesses we have been chosen to be and bless our Daddy and those around us with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. We don’t have to be perfect in this, but with God’s help, as we make the choice to get dressed in this manner, we can continue to grow until it becomes an integral part of who we are!

Get dressed!

Rebecca

Photo credit: James Phillips, May 1984, RAF Upper Heyford, UK