Shedding

"Good morning, Albert," Sarah said. She opened the door of Albert's cage and fed the bearded dragon a breakfast of worms and small chunks of vegetables. Her pet happily gobbled it up. As he crawled onto his hammock, Sarah saw that the scales on his face and his tail were coming off. "Mom," Sarah called, "I hope Albert isn't getting sick. His skin is falling off!"Mom came over and peeked in Albert's cage. "Don't worry, honey," she said. "That's natural. When bearded dragons and other reptiles grow too big for their skin, they shed. Just like how when you grow, we have to buy you new clothes and shoes.""Is he itchy?" Sarah asked. "He keeps rubbing his face against his rocks.""Shedding is a little uncomfortable. We can give him a bath to help."Mom and Sarah filled a tub with warm water and placed Albert inside. "A bath will help make the old skin soft and loosen it so it's easier to shed," Mom explained. "Soon all the old skin will be gone, and then we'll be able to see just the new skin!""That sounds like a verse I learned at church about taking off our old self and putting on our new self," Sarah said."You're right! That's just like Albert outgrowing his skin. When we become Christians, our old sinful habits don't fit us anymore because Jesus has made us new people, so we need to shed them. If a bearded dragon's shed gets stuck, that can be dangerous for him. His body is bigger and needs more space to be healthy.""What if we get stuck in our old sin? I wish we could just wash it all away with a bath like Albert!" Sarah said. "He might not give us a bath, but God does help us shed our sinful habits," Mom said. "He has given us His Word, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit to help us do what is right. And at church, He has given us other Christians who can encourage us as we grow to be more like Jesus." –J. R. Kleeberger