A Forgiving Community

James Cathcart October 30, 2026 3 0

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Colossians 3: 12–15 (NIV-UK)

12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

‘One size fits all.’

Aye, right!

As someone with a massive head I can tell you, there’s no such thing as one size fits all.

Many a hat has broken my heart.

Earlier this week I talked about how forgiveness heals us from the outside in. While bitterness rots us from the inside out. Clothes make such a brilliant analogy for Paul here because they are on the surface, they are clearly visible. You don’t need to guess if I’m wearing a big hat — you can just look at my head and see I am wearing a big hat. It isn’t subtle. It isn’t a private decision I’ve made in my heart about how I see the world or what I believe in.

It’s just a very big hat.

When we clothe ourselves in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience they are right there for the world to see. Right on the surface. We have a tendency to abstract a lot of Christianity — how do you feel compassion towards others? Do you have a kind heart? Do you feel humble enough? Do you believe that gentleness and patience are a good thing? Rather than you know, just being compassionate when you don’t at all feel like it. Rather than being kind when in your heart you can’t be bothered. Rather than being gentile and patient when we don’t believe it will make a difference, but because we know its right. 

Having a kind heart doesn’t change lives.

Being kind does.

That doesn’t mean that what goes on in our heart doesn’t matter. Of course it does. Paul ends these verses inviting the peace of Christ to rule in our hearts. But that’s the thing, it comes after the clothes. He invites us to get up, get on with it, put on the clothes that we need for what we need to do.

Being a Christian is not about becoming a good person. It’s about doing good person things. Not to earn God’s love, but out of God’s love. We start from a place of acceptance, we don’t have to strive to achieve it. And our God who loves us will compassionately, kindly, humbly, gently and patiently help us to become better people along the way.

Prayer:

Dear God

Guide us to the perfect fit

so all can plainly see 

who we are

and whose we are.

Amen.