Choosing your personality like choosing the clothes you wear

Confession time: I have no style. Clothes, style and I do not mix. Anybody who knew me in high school knew I didn’t where jeans. I mostly wore jogging pants and baggy t-shirts. It was not a style anybody repeated. I choose to wear what was comfortable and sometimes ugly at times. Some of the pants where really cheap and made an swoosh sound as I walked. A couple of my friends would say you know when Joel was coming because you could hear the swoosh. Life is full of choices.

We choose what clothes we where and we can choose what personalities we show. Paul talks about different qualities we can choose to have or cloth ourselves with in Colossians 3:12-14…

“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 one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

Choose the right attribute for your life. Paul talked about compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness and love. The word bear in the original Greek scripture means to be patient with or to have patience in the sense of enduring possibility. When becoming a Christian, we are told what we can wear in regards to different characteristics. It’s our choice what clothes we wear just like it’s our choice what we choose to show to other people. We have the choice to show these different traits.

Instead of focusing on clothes you want to wear or what you are wearing focus on what traits you choose to show. We have the ability to show compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness and love. Today, what is a trait you can focus on? How can you show people this today?

Have a great day.

The difference Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups can make

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Parenting is a learning experience. There is no book that can teach you how to parent to perfection. There is so much to learn, and this includes whom you learn from. One of the most interesting things about being a parent is how much you can learn from your own kids. I learn a lot from my kids. My kids are awesome and through the good and the bad, we learn.

My own son Ty has taught me so much in regards to sharing. A couple of weeks ago we had a home swim meet that I was officiating at. Once the race starts, I need to be in my position and ready to pay attention to only the kids in the pool swimming. Ty came up to me during this time and tugged at my shirt. I told him to hang on for a second and when I had a free time I turned around. Ty gave me Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups. Ty brought his own money to the swim pool and went out to the concession to get me this snack. Ty has always taught me so much about sharing. Even at a young age. When we would divide breadsticks among the kids, Ty always broke his in thirds and would give part of it to Nevaeh and Connor. Ty is so thoughtful and great when it comes to sharing.

Ty is a perfect example to me of Philippians 2:3-4…

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

Life would be different if we all modeled this. This whole section of scripture is so powerful and if you want to read what this is all based off continuing reading verses 6-11. Another way the above scripture is put, “Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.”

Ty has taught me so much and he is only six. Every moment in life can be a teachable moment and it also can be a time to learn. I need to continue to improve to put others before myself and will work on this today. What can you do to help others today?

Have a great day.