As I reflect on this passage, I am reminded of three things.
Verse 8: It is important to speak what is kind, true, and pure. It is so easy for me to say bad things about someone who has wronged me or someone I care about, or perhaps about someone who holds an opinion contrary to mine.
Verse 11: Everyone is a beloved child of God, created in God’s image, even the person who has wronged me or holds a value or belief with which I disagree.
Verse 12: When disagreements arise and feelings are hurt, we should clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. William Barclay writes in The Letters to the Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians, “It is most significant to note that every one of the graces listed [here] has to do with personal relationships between [people]. . .” David Guzik in his commentary on Colossians observes that “a significant measure of our Christian life is found simply in how we treat people and the quality of our relationships with them.”
So then, what can I do?
When disagreement arises, I can choose to see the other person as a child of God, who was created in God’s image, and to speak kindly about or toward him or her. I can clothe myself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and love. Clothed in these garments, I can choose to speak gently in any disagreement. After all, harsh words rarely, if ever, bring agreement, understanding, or reconciliation. Making these daily choices (sometimes multiple times daily!) is only possible because of the saving grace of Jesus. Remember, we die with Christ and are reborn “being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator” (verse 10).