What You See Is What You Get

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience…”

—Colossians 3:12

The Christ’s Frames

What does he mean “put on?” Is he suggesting that these things are like clothes or that I put on a compassionate heart like I would my shirt?

Probably not in the literal sense, though that’s the imagery in the Greek.

Beyond this, what does he mean? If we read verse 13, we find something a bit more helpful.

It says,

“bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”

Here, Paul gives an example and then follows that example by giving us the motivation for the action requested. He says to “bear with one another and forgive” and then he gives us the reason, “because the Lord has forgiven you.”

The first way to “put on” the things listed in verse 12 is to use them in relation to what Christ has done for us. Has Christ been compassionate and kind to you? Has he shown humility, meekness, and patience towards us? Yes, in every way. If he has given us such an example, shouldn’t we look to him constantly in our everyday life to stir us in obedience towards putting on such things?

The call to “put on” is a call that asks us to see and respond to the world in relation to the mind and actions of another—Christ. Christ and his gospel are the main frames into which everything is placed, held together, and supported. If we remove the frame, everything else falls apart. It all becomes our own work and effort, just like with a man who broke his glasses frames. He would have to hold up his own lenses. This is exhausting and does not last long. Indeed, it even makes life harder and a burden. Without the gospel, everything else in this article falls to the floor.

The language of “putting on” reveals to us that it is intentional work, like getting dressed is intentional work. We must put on the frames of Christ. This isn’t a passive practice. It asks a man or a woman to pause in any circumstance and then to see how they should act in accordance with what they were given in Christ. Paul often says, “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord” (Colossians 1:10). It’s the same concept as we see here with putting on.

Once the frames are established, the Bible offers us other lenses to use. This will be the subject for the rest of this article.

Note: the doctrine of lenses cannot be found in scripture. This is simply a useful way to explain how this works in practice.

If I Were You Lens

Philippians 2:3 says,

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”

Most of our problems that we face from day-to-day come from our pride, selfishness, and lack of love. This is why we get irritated and upset, why we honk our horns in traffic, and why we lack everything in our list from day-to-day: we think of ourselves too much.

How can you and I show compassion, kindness, or humility if life is all about us? We have to conclude that these things don’t happen through viewing the world through our “selfish” lens.

As we put on our “Christ frames” each morning, I want to offer you the “If I were you” lens to place inside the frames.

Here is how it works:

Let’s say you’re talking to someone who you have a hard time showing compassion towards. While you’re listening and nodding away, I want you to ask yourself very specific questions about their circumstance.

Questions like:

What would I need if I were you?

How did I get here?

What am I irritated, sad, angry, confused, or even excited about?

What response would I need or want right now?

I want you to enter into their situation like it’s your own. Then, while you’re there, think about everything you would want or need and what exactly would you feel if you were them. As you do this, you may find that compassion rises in your heart. You are in a sense thinking about yourself in this moment, but it’s in the desire to “become” them for a moment and not to get what you want. This lens, mixed with the Christ frames and prayer, will allow you to put on the things found in Colossians 3:12.

This is the “If I were you” lens.

If You Were Family Lens

In 1 Timothy 5:1-2, it says,

“Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.”

Let’s say the “If I were you” lens is a bit foggy in that moment. What other lens could help us feel more compassionate, patient, or kind? That’s when the “If You Were Family” lens may come in handy.

How does this work?

In 1 Timothy, Paul tells Timothy how he should interact with the other believers around him. What’s interesting is that he tells him to see them as if they were his family. This isn’t a distant reality when it comes to other believers because they are in fact our family in Christ, and this intensifies the importance of it. Paul’s aim for Timothy is to have this “family vision” in order to guide his interactions and attitudes towards others. He even points out “in all purity” which offers other applications for this lens as well.

In a lot of ways it’s easier to show our loved ones the kindness and love that we might otherwise withhold from others. Imagine that your mother cut you off in traffic. What would be your reaction? It would probably be, “Oh mom…I love you” followed by a hearty laugh when you see her again. On the other hand, you may be cursing at the stranger in your heart for the rest of your day. Putting on a compassionate heart may mean dressing the stranger in front of you in your mother’s costume.

The “if you were family” lens, placed in the “Christ’s frames” and working alongside the “if I were you” lens, would be a powerful tool for handling every situation. It would be good to mention here that this is not only for negative situations. This way of thinking and seeing should be our daily practice, just like wearing glasses is a daily practice.

Let’s take a look at our final lens.

If You Were Me Lens

Galatians 6:1 says, “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”

This last lens asks us to understand our own sinfulness. It asks us not to be self-righteous. It urges us to give others what we give ourselves. If this other person were you, what compassion would you offer? What sort of kindness, meekness, humility, or patience would you extend?

This “If You Were Me” lens echoes Mark 12:31, “The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” We should be men and women who consider deeply what we’ve been given through Christ and how this affects our interactions with others. With each person we come into contact with, with every moment that we are asked to serve, with every hard conversation, or anything else, let us put on this lens and see how it can help us see things clearly.

Conclusion

This set of spiritual glasses offer us a prescription that will change our lives. It’s a prescription that is beyond 20/20 because it is one that is rooted in a Gospel-centered perspective. It sees who Christ is and what he has done, it sees others above itself, it counts others worthy of the love of a family, and it realizes how needy it is itself. These glasses are a tool that will help us practice “putting on” the things mentioned in Colossians 3:12. They are different perspectives that will focus our minds and hearts on a life that walks in a manner worthy of the Lord.

Cling to Christ!