Colossians 3:12. “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” In other words, because we know we’ve been chosen and loved by God, we should deal with complicated people differently.
- Compassion is about humanizing others. It means viewing them as people, not as problems, and choosing empathy over judgment.
- Kindness is love in action: it means treating complicated people with generosity rather than giving them “what they deserve.”
- Humility is a self-awareness issue. When we recognize our own complications, we can make space for theirs.
- Gentleness means handling issues that arise with care and wisdom, not with harshness or rudeness.
- Patience is about having a long-term perspective. Patience makes room for genuine healing and growth rather than trying to control things for our immediate convenience.