“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.” (Colossians 3:1-2)
With these words, Paul starts a section of his letter to the church at Colossae that’s all about the old and the new. Cast off this old part of yourself, and put on this new part that’s yours because of Christ.
As the effects of this global pandemic stretch into another month for us in the U.S., I have found it’s actually pretty easy to put off my old worries. The things that concerned me most in March don’t nag me nearly as much now. I confess, though, that I haven’t replaced those worries with the kindness, humility, and patience Paul describes in Colossians 3.
Instead, I’ve filled the void with new worries—longer-term concerns about our overall health and well-being once the worst of the pandemic is over.
I think Paul would admonish me (sternly) to take a longer look at the characteristics he prescribes for believers in Jesus: love for another, reliance on the peace of Christ, and a reverence for God’s word. In this new, unprecedented season, those “new” things are especially timely.
Meredith Flynn is IBSA’s content manager.