Do You Remember?
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.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:12-17
Do you remember? I am one of the most forgetful people I know. I am not sure if I have ADHD, but there are numerous times that I act as if I do. Thanks to certain things like my Outlook calendar, an iPhone, a wife with good memory, and some working at it on my own, the important things are always covered. As such, it is also important for me not to lose sight of the little things or take some of the big things for granted. If I am able to do this successfully, there is a greater level of joy in my life.
That tendency to forget doesn’t just show up in schedules or appointments. It shows up in how easily I can drift from who I want to be particularly in how I treat others. The pressures of life, work, relationships, and expectations have a way of crowding out my aspirational tendencies. Patience gives way to irritation. Kindness gets replaced by efficiency. Gratitude fades into assumption. None of it happens all at once. It happens slowly, almost unnoticed.
We need to continually remind ourselves of who in Christ we represent. That is why Paul’s words in Colossians 3 feel less like a lofty spiritual ideal and more like a necessary reminder. He writes, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” (Colossians 3:12) The image of clothing is important. These qualities are not automatic. They are chosen and put on daily. Just as we don’t walk out the door without thinking about what to wearing, Paul suggests we should not move through the day without intentionally choosing how we show up toward others.
What strikes me is that Paul anchors this call in identity before behavior. We are told to live this way not in order to earn love but because we are loved. Compassion, humility, and patience, like faith by works, are not moral checkboxes. They should be motivators because it is a response to grace already given. When I forget that, I either become harsh with others or disappointed in myself. When I remember it, spiritual growth occurs.
Paul goes on to acknowledge something that we know firsthand: relationships are messy. “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.” (Colossians 3:13) Forgiveness here is not framed as a dramatic gesture but as a practiced posture. It is what we reach for when irritation would be easier. It is how we keep small offenses from becoming lasting divisions. Forgiveness, like memory, requires effort and repetition.
Then Paul centers everything with the usual suspect: love. “And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” (Colossians 3:14) z Love is not presented as a feeling but as the force that holds everything else in place. Without love, compassion becomes selective, patience becomes conditional, and humility becomes performative. Love gives coherence to character.
The passage closes with an invitation into a different kind of inner life: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” (Colossians 3:15). Gratitude, peace, and remembrance are deeply connected. When I slow down enough to remember what I have been given, peace has room to settle in. When peace is present, my words and actions tend to follow. Paul even extends this into daily rhythms: “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17). Faith, here, is not confined to moments of reflection. It is woven into ordinary conversations and quiet decisions.
Paul’s invitation here is not to try harder, but to remember better. To remember who we are, whose we are, and what truly brings life. When we do, joy doesn’t have to be chased. It emerges naturally, often in the smallest and most ordinary moments. Let us not forget these virtuous things. Which virtue Paul names here is easiest for you to forget under pressure? Where might gratitude help restore peace in your daily rhythms? My prayer is when rushed, distracted, or worn down, we remember who He calls us to be, and let His peace guide our words and actions. Amen.