What Does It Mean to Be Holy and Dearly Loved? (Even When You Don't Feel Like Enough)

Colossians 3:12 says God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, should clothe themselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

I love this verse. I take it to mean basically what it says. When we carry ourselves filled with those five things, we represent God well.

Two words in that verse carry more weight than they get credit for: holy and dearly loved.

Holy means set apart. It means you belong to God, chosen and marked as His, with a purpose for you that nobody else can carry the same way.

And He didn't just say loved. He said dearly loved. Adding "dearly" changes the whole sentence. It moves you from being loved in general to being loved specifically, personally, on purpose.

If you have ever been told you are not worthy, not valuable, not enough, not impressive enough, not powerful enough, that you don't have enough followers or enough likes, here is what's true underneath all of that noise: you are more than enough. When you know who you are, when you know better, you do better. You feel better. You love better. You live better.

This feels like a public service announcement: you are called, you are named, you are chosen, by the Creator, the Sustainer, the Redeemer. The narrator Hosanna Wong reminds us we are holy and set apart, and that we should embody the values of Jesus, giving people grace instead of treating them like they're below us.

So how do you actually clothe yourself in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience? You start with your struggles. Think about what keeps you from living more like Jesus, then replace it with the opposite action.

If you're sarcastic and cutting, choose something kind and encouraging instead.
If you come across harsh, choose to do something that requires gentleness.
If you're holding a grudge, make the decision to extend forgiveness.

Alongside that, take part in whatever builds you up spiritually. Read His word. Connect with others. Spend time with people who keep you accountable in a positive way. Keep scriptures close that you can remind yourself of and apply to your life.

This works like anything else you want to accomplish. Practice makes perfect. Pursue it. Live it. And give yourself grace when you fall short, because you're not perfect. No one is. We're all going to make mistakes.

Pray and ask God to help you. I believe with all my heart you will see the change, because I've seen it in my own life. It's daily. It's the intentionality in clothing yourself and doing what's right, treating people the way He treats us. That intentionality is what it takes to build any habit into your daily life.

It starts with receiving and accepting Jesus' unconditional love so you can reflect that love to others: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

Today is a good day to think about what it looks like for you to embody those traits. Make note of your struggles. Start small, with one or two that give you the most trouble, and make a plan to replace them with actions that draw you closer to Jesus. Start in prayer, asking for His strength, then work on each trait slowly and with intention. Stay fully committed, and in time those traits will come naturally to you.

When you know who you are, it changes how you live. You are a child of the Most High God. You are holy. You are dearly loved. Let that be what you carry into today.

Peace, Love and Joy always.
Infinite Faith and Favor | kharisco.com