Colossians 3 (#2): Practice Makes Perfect

verse 12: Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

verse 13: Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

◇ Adapting to something new is not an easy task. It doesn't automatically become a part of us. When we buy new shoes, our feet suffer for a few days until the shoes adjust to our feet and become comfortable. During those days, various thoughts cross our minds, if our heels get scraped and bleed: "Do these shoes not fit my feet? Should I take them off and buy new ones?" 

The founder of the martial art Kuk Sool, Choi Bae-dal, is said to have stated: "With 300 practices, imitation becomes possible; with 3,000 practices, it becomes a weapon that can be used in real situations; and with 30,000 practices, the skill comes out unconsciously, overpowering the opponent." It takes time, patience, and sometimes pain to let go of what we are used to and adjust to something new. Only then can the new thing become completely ours.

As Christians, putting on new clothes requires a lot of practice. When we start believing in Jesus, our hearts do not immediately overflow with compassion like the Good Samaritan. We cannot speak righteous words at the risk of our lives like John the Baptist, nor can we praise God while being stoned to death like Stephen. For the new clothes of a Christian to fit our own bodies, it takes countless practices, failures, efforts, sweat, and patience. It does not come easily.

Today, I hope it will be a precious day to make compassion, kindness, humility, patience, not complaints and grumbling, but praise and hope, tolerance and forgiveness, and love completely ours through 300, 3,000, and 30,000 practices.

♧ God, please allow Christ to rule my heart! Holy Spirit, lead me in truth!