“It is better to look good than to feel good.”
So said Fernando Lamas, the suave, sophisticated Latin actor. And he did look good. Billy Crystal turned Lamas’ other quote, “You look marvelous!” into a SNL character and routine and got a lot of mileage out of it.
Appearance is everything.
Studies say that attractive people make 5-10% more money than those who aren’t, and get promoted more quickly. Recently I heard an interview with a rock climber who had lost both legs in an accident and had since become a world-leading scientist in developing artificial limbs. He directs a lab at MIT. Personally, he has added a few inches to his height believing that taller people do better.
Looking good. It takes a lot of thought and energy.
Believe it or not, even when it comes to God. We want to look good for God. He’ll like us better. He won't be disappointed with us.
Remember, the first thing that went in the Garden of Eden, after Adam and Eve had taken the plunge into the dark side? It was being comfortable with God. They hid. They weren’t good enough any longer. They were even ashamed of the bodies that God had given them.
Since then people have done a lot of crazy things in order to look good for God. Others have just decided to forget it and have rejected any real relevance of God in their lives.
This Sunday, at the Gathering Church we will look at a story where Jesus is confronted with an accusation: “God can’t be happy with people who follow you because they don’t do the things that God likes.”
They don’t look good enough for God.
The story, found in Mark 7:1-23, gives Jesus the opportunity to describe what is most important in life.
The religious leaders’ version of Lamas’ sentiment was more like this:
“It is better to look good than to be good.”
For anyone who hungers for reality rather than image, this is a story for them.
This Sunday.