A New Look

I read a pamphlet in the vet’s office that claims grooming makes dogs feel better. The theory may be that less hair or at least less matted hair makes Fido or Fifi feel more comfortable. Frankly, when I leave a barbershop, I don’t feel any better. I don’t have much hair to begin with, and I kind of resent a barber’s clipping away the little I do have. Paying him to do so only adds insult to injury.

Unlike me, our dog Molly has lots of hair. If we didn’t have her groomed regularly, her hair would flow long like the Nile or become matted like a bramble bush. So every five weeks or so Molly goes to the groomer. She grabs my shoulder and hangs on for dear life before I leave her. However, when I pick her up from the groomer, I can tell she is pleased with her new look. She parades around the house with a happy bounce.

I’m sure money spent for grooming Molly is a much better expenditure than money spent on me at the barbershop.

Some preachers claim a person looks different after becoming a Christian. “His face glows now,” I have heard them say.

I’m skeptical. I have never seen a man’s face glow unless he was standing under a high-wattage light. Nor have I seen a woman’s face glow unless she had applied too much moisturizing cream.

But Christians’ lives ought to look different from those of unbelievers. The Scriptures command us to put off old sinful habits and put on qualities that accent our new life in Christ. Ephesians 4:24-32 instructs us to put off falsehood, resentment, stealing, indolence, unwholesome talk, bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, and every form of malice.

Our new look should include righteousness, holiness, truth, reasonableness, honesty, industry, constructive speech, sensitivity to the Spirit, kindness, compassion, and forgiveness. Perhaps we should look into the mirror of God’s Word today and see how well we are projecting a new look.

—From Meditations for Dog Lovers, © 2005 by Jim Dyet, AMG Publishers