Appearances Matter

Appearances Matter

“It doesn’t matter what I wear,” he insisted and attended his son’s funeral in his jeans and t-shirt.
He further justified this by saying that his son knew him best in jeans and a t-shirt so he’d expect to see him that way at the funeral. However, Alden was buried in a suit.
“Why would he do that,” my husband asked. “He’s failing to show respect for his son by coming to the funeral dressed that way.”
“Maybe he’s too grief stricken to bother with dressing up,” I suggested.
“I’d think he’d make the effort this one time; that he’d honor his son by showing that he was worth putting on a suit or at least decent clothes for.”
This exchange brought to my mind a thought I’d had hidden in my unconscious. There is the saying that ‘Clothes make the Man (or woman)’, obviously; that isn’t always true. Some wonderful people cannot afford nice clothes. I’ve heard it said that for church we should wear our best to honor God. I agree with that and if my best is a new pair of jeans, then I’d wear that on a clean body, and feel I paid God adequate respect.
Still there is a truth that shouldn’t be lost here. You only get one chance to make a first impression. Why is that important? Because people seldom change their first impression of a person, no matter how wrong that can be. Therefore, appearances do matter, whether we like it or not.
For the person going to that funeral, who does not know the Father, the impression may be of an uncaring person who didn’t bother to respect the deceased; someone who didn’t care about his son’s last earthly viewing. That negative impression would be carried through any future contacts with him and affect those transactions.
Much as I dislike the idea, it is my conclusion that appearances matter and that if we are wise we would keep that in mind as we go about our daily lives because who knows when we will be making that all important first impression on someone.