Wednesday, December 3 Clothe yourselves with . . . patience.​—Col. 3:12.

[Áine]

Wednesday, December 3

Clothe yourselves with . . . patience.—Col. 3:12.

 

Consider four ways we can demonstrate patience. First, a patient person is slow to anger. He tries to stay calm and to hold back from retaliating when provoked or under stress. (Ex. 34:6) Second, a patient person can wait calmly. If something takes longer than expected, such a person tries to avoid becoming restless or irritable. (Matt. 18:26, 27) Third, a patient person is not rash. When a patient person has an important task to accomplish, he does not rush into it; nor does he rush through it. Rather, he sets aside a reasonable amount of time to plan what he will do. Then he gives the task the time that it requires. Fourth, a patient person strives to bear trials without complaining. He does his best to continue enduring while maintaining a positive attitude. (Col. 1:11) As Christians, we need to show all these facets of patience. w23.0820-21 ¶3-6

[dljbsp]

Notice how clothing works. You don’t drift into wearing something; you put it on with intent. Paul uses that image for a reason. Patience isn’t an emotion we wait to feel — it’s a garment we choose to wear before the pressures of the day start tugging at us.

 

When we look at the four facets described — restraining anger, waiting without agitation, avoiding rash decisions, and enduring trials without complaint — we see a pattern. These are not passive states. They are deliberate acts of self-governance. They take time, clarity, and a settled heart anchored in Jehovah’s way of thinking.

 

Now reframe the scene: every one of those facets is something Jehovah himself displays. Exodus 34:6 anchors the first; Matthew 18:26, 27 shows the second; Colossians 1:11 reinforces the fourth. We are not inventing patience — we are reflecting the One who has shown it toward us again and again, often at moments when we did not deserve it.

 

Here is the distilled insight: patience is not weakness. It is controlled strength. It is choosing calm when agitation feels easier. It is buying time for wisdom to speak before emotion takes the microphone. It is trusting that Jehovah sees more than we do and will act at the right moment, even when the moment feels late to us.

 

What does Jehovah see me wearing?

Edited 6 hours ago by dljbsp