What to Wear Today

What is your persona? If I were to ask a friend, a family member, a co-worker, and someone you stood in line with at the store - what would they say?

Every day in every situation we put on some sort of clothing - not shirts and skirts, but words and actions. In our culture there are traits that are revered: independence, competition, looking out for self, getting ahead, not letting anyone get to you - and my favorite - every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

I know if you are reading this you may be thinking that your persona is the personality of Jesus - and it should be, but is it? What happened the last time someone cut you off on the freeway or cut in line at the grocery store? Has someone ever cheated you or lied to you or said something mean about you to someone else? Have you ever found yourself running a little rough-shod over someone to get what you wanted? Probably. I know I have.

I ran across a real impacting verse to share with you. It's Philippians 4:5 "Let your gentleness be evident to all." The word "gentleness" can also be translated "mild" or "moderate." It comes from two Greek words that suggest the idea of placing your hand on something else and being like that thing you are touching in form. It would be like cupping a beautiful flower in your hand without harming it, rather than squeezing it in your fist until it is crushed.

That idea is how Paul (and the Lord) wants our personalities to be towards others. It doesn't mean to be a doormat - in another place Paul encourages us not to be timid or afraid of those who oppose the gospel. But I think we can make choices when we deal with others - we can make sure we are taken care of first, and if others survive the effort then okay. Or we can seek to find out what makes someone else tick, and perhaps mold ourselves to help them first.

Philippians 2:4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others . NIV

It's just a thought - when you have a choice of personalities to wear, consider wearing gentleness and an attitude that sees and responds to the interests of others.