Time for a Makeover

By Belinda Elliott
Web Content Coordinator, Regent University

CBN.com -- It’s way past time for a haircut, I thought to myself as I tried to coral my hair into an acceptable “do” for work. I always let this happen. I go far too long between haircuts and my hair becomes more and more unruly as the days go by. It’s not something I do on purpose. I just haven’t made time for a trip to the salon.

I don’t know why I don’t visit the salon more often. There is nothing that feels better than a nice, fresh new haircut. For a week or two after my visit, I relish how neat and clean-cut my hair looks with an updated style.

Yet here I am again, three months later, with hair all askew wondering why I haven’t just taken the time to make another appointment. There is nothing I can do with my hair once it reaches this point. It has become unruly, shaggy, and full of split ends. Try as I may, I cannot make it look the way I want it to.

As I pondered that thought his morning in front of my bedroom mirror, the Lord reminded me of a similar pattern in my spiritual life. You do the same thing with me, you know, I felt like the Lord was saying to me.

What could my frazzled hair possibly have to do with my Christian walk? I wondered.

That’s when His still small voice reminded me of things I’ve been praying about during the last few weeks.

You want to become more like me, He said, but you need to spend more time with me for that to happen.

It was true. For the last few weeks, my prayer times had been more like whining sessions than quality time with my Father.

“Why can’t I act more like the woman I read about in Proverbs 31?”
“Why am I not more patient, God?”
“Why do I not always love like You do, Lord?”
“What about the fruit of the spirit listed in Galatians? Why do I find it so difficult to demonstrate those in my day-to-day life?”

I had pummeled Him with questions like that for weeks, but never really taken the time to wait for His answers. Now He was revealing the answer loud and clear.

What I need is a makeover that only He can provide.

God reminded me that it is only through Him that I can develop the Christ-like qualities I’ve been longing for. Instead, I’ve been trying to cultivate them on my own – an action that will always end in failure.

Scripture clearly spells out the secret to living a victorious Christian life.

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

Just as makeovers with hair require that we spend some time with a good hairstylist, makeovers of the heart require that we spend time with our Heavenly Father. My desire to become more like Christ will only be realized as I set aside time to listen to Him and study His word. It is during those times that He will shape my heart and my will to conform to His.

So I pulled out my daily planner and made an appointment. No, not a hair appointment, but an appointment to sit before the Lord and allow Him to begin the process of molding me into who He created me to be.

What about you? Have you found yourself being less than victorious in your Christian walk? Perhaps you simply need more time with the One who gives us victory over our sinful natures.

Take some time to sit before the Lord today. He will never miss an appointment with one of His children.