Colossians 3:1-17

"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.  For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.  Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.  On account of these the wrath of God is coming.  In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.  But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.  Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.  Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.  Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 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.  And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.  And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.  And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

I begin my studies this month at Renovare, and today I became a little overwhelmed with how I am going to juggle all the things on my plate.  I even began to question whether committing to starting "school" with this course of study for the next two years was the right decision for me.  What if it is just too much?  Especially when my big huge packet arrived today with our first month's coursework...  But right at the heart of that large packet was the suggestion to read, study, meditate on, or even memorize Colossians 3:1-17 throughout the month of August. We students were encouraged to let those words guide us going forward as we begin our studies this month because those verses are the core foundation for our two years of spiritual formation.  
And my jaw dropped open - and I started to cry.  Right in the center of those foundational verses is Colossians 3:12-14 (Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 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.  And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.).  Those three verses were the ones Ryan and I picked out to be recited at our wedding and that then hung on our bedroom wall for 15 years!  I really felt like in that moment of realization, that both God and Ryan were comforting me and encouraging me to go forward with this program, in love and joy and thankfulness, knowing that God and Ryan are both cheering me on from heaven.  I know our purpose in meditating on and studying that part of the third chapter of Colossians is to focus our attention on God but I did not realize how lovingly our God would bless me back or speak so directly to my heart through those familiar words.  Today is August 1st, day one of program study, and my anxiety over how I will balance everything just melted away and I am smiling, through my tears, knowing Ryan loved me and does love me and that God is leading me down a new path, one where He can fully create a compassionate and loving heart inside of me to bind all things together in His perfect harmony.  And I am thankful.  So thankful.