Put On part 2
"Are you putting me on?" You know, like when you're trying to fool someone. Trick them. I guess these days its called trolling people. Or at least that's what my seven year old son tells me. But that idea of being fake in order to get one over on someone is the exact opposite of what we're talking about here in this Rant series. What we're talking about is putting on what God has already put on us. Sinking into that garment. Getting comfortable in it, and with it. Understanding that what He has put on us (IN US) is our new (true) nature. And it takes time to get comfortable with something new. I get that. Maturity is a process. Learning and growing. Not faking it until you make it, but doing your best and forgetting the rest. You can't learn from your mistakes if you don't make any mistakes. And you learn more from failure than success. In fact, the only true failure is the failure to try. So don't get discouraged. Even on your bad days. Especially on your bad days. When you know who you are... you never have to try to be someone you're not. You can just be who you are. You don't have to put on a false face when you can look in the mirror (which is Jesus, which is love), and see your true face. "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Corinthians 3:18). The more we look into that mirror and see Jesus--our true identity, God in the flesh, love in a body... God in OUR flesh, love in OUR body--the more we understand who we really are. And in understanding, BE who we really are. Changed from glory to glory. Did you catch that? We start at glory. Its not a change in the sense that we start at crap and then change into something better. Its a "change" in the sense that we didn't know who we were, and now we do. Its the idea of being transformed (into what we've already been transformed into) by the renewing of our minds. By letting the mind of Christ (that's already in us) BE in us. And we do that... by using it. Remember in our key verse in Colossians 3:9-10 it opens up with "Lie not one to another"? That's so important. We need to be transparent. We need to be who we are. Even when we're struggling. Again, especially when we're struggling. The struggle is real. And its not good that man should be alone. We need each other. Knowing that someone has your back no matter what is so vitally important to being able to not just survive this life we've been given, but thrive in it. Shared experience is so much more powerful than individual experience. I wrote a whole Rant series about how amazing it is to share your life with someone. But you can't do that if you're lying. To them OR to yourself. Honesty is so important. Telling the truth in love. Especially when you understand that the truth IS love. Its all about love, baby! Telling people you love them... and showing people you love them. Not putting them on. Not putting on over on them. But giving them what you've got. Everything you have and everything you are. Putting on the love that God has put on you. Putting the love on them!