Beyond Recognition

My grandfather once gave me a pocket watch that did not work. I took it apart, cleaned it, and put it back together and it worked. It had a stop-watch feature on it that allowed you to turn it on and off. Out of curiosity I used it to see how much time it took to do certain things. I timed myself reading, doing the dishes, and working on homework. One day I decided to see how much time I spent combing my hair. While I do not remember how much time I spent, I do remember noting that if I read instead of combing my hair I could read three and half more pages of a book a day. I stopped carrying a comb in my back pocket and started carrying a book instead – much to the disapproval of my mother. 

I bring this up because our society seems to focus so much time, effort, and money on how we look as individuals.  Just watch a bit of television and count the ads that try to sell you something that will change how you look: beauty aids, hair dye, weight loss programs, clothing, and even medication. We seem to believe that you can judge a person by their looks. But then, I am not telling you something that you do not already know. But why do we do it? Why do we always get caught up in the new fad and try to look like everyone else?

A major portion of this just might be that we are afraid of being alone, rejected, or the laughing stock of those around us. We want to fit in and be part of the crowd. But, just when we do what is “in,” the “in” changes and we must chase after something else to be like everyone else. Even the words that describe the new thing change. Remember groovy? 

God calls us to a different world. Just listen to Isaiah’s description of the savior, “He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.”  He was one whom people hid their faces from. I suppose that is why many who saw Jesus rejected him. He was not what or whom they expected. He did not fit into the latest fashion trend. That was his point. He came to make all things new. He came to show God does not care about outside appearances or made up conventions. God cares about you. God calls you to forget about your “made up” appearance and look within and note your heart. Then, realizing your sin, look up and see Jesus upon the cross.