Have you ever seen a common animal that looked…strange? While walking in a neighborhood, I saw a squirrel with a very thin tail. All the fluffy hairs were gone, and all that remained were short ones covering the skin. The tail resembled a thin rat or opossum tail. There were plenty of other squirrels around, flicking their beautiful bushy tails, so I was filled with questions. Was this an old, wise squirrel that had mastered crossing the road and dodging cars? Was it possible that a predator stripped the squirrel of its fur?
I began to think about aging animals, like dogs, that turn gray around their faces. I also thought about speckled fawns aging and becoming stately deer with large antlers. I considered how some animals become more beautiful as they age, and some become less so.
With some research, I found that squirrels molt their fur in the spring just like birds replace their feathers. More of the mystery became clearer as I read further. After mother squirrels get their new bushy tail fur, they pluck out the long hairs to line their drey (nest). This makes the drey warm and comfortable for their kits. She gives away her beautiful tail to help her young.
Proverbs 31:30 says that “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” Do you know what charm means or why beauty is fleeting?
Charming people speak very well to impress. People who appear beautiful also draw others' attention. The wise proverb warns us not to try to impress with the words we say or the way we look. This verse tells us that our focus should be on developing an inner beauty that comes from loving and revering God.
1 Peter 3:4 says, “Let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.”
Like the skinny-tailed squirrel or the gray-faced dog, our bodies also change on the outside. As we grow older, our bodies may weaken, but we can cultivate an inner beauty that never fades—an imperishable spirit hidden within. Our inner beauty is far more precious to God than how we appear to others. This beauty looks like a gentle and quiet spirit. It also looks like a sweet smile and a kind word. Look for that beauty in the lives of those you know. When you see it, you will recognize it.
