I’ve been letting my hair grow out (again) for the last four years or so…but over the last couple of days I have felt a little like 2007 Britney Spears. I have found myself before the mirror over the last couple of days with the scissors glaring at me on the bathroom counter and me talking myself out of chopping it all off into a long bob. If my mind didn’t go back to all those times I cut my kid’s hair and messed it up, I would take the plunge.
Every time I look in the mirror I see all this hair I seem to hide behind. I’ve gained weight and all that hair going down my back covers the fat rolls from my bra straps that are stretched to the max. Long hair elongates the double chin too, right? Oh, and I can’t forget that longer hair is so versatile…I can do so much with it…yet, I remind myself that most of the time it stays in a ponytail because I can’t stand it in my face.
God isn’t concerned with the length of my hair…He wants to see the depths of my love for Him. He wants my devotion to Him to be the main thing that consumes my thoughts…not what I am going to do with this mane on my head. As crazy as it seems, every time I pull back my hair and pretend that it is short, I look in the mirror and feel liberated and free.
The back fat is on full display.
The double chin is front and center.
I am no longer hiding behind a curtain of hair.
It’s still long enough for a pony tail, but it doesn’t smother my face.
Let’s not mention the tangles.
It’s hard, but it feels so good.
That’s how it feels when the sin in our lives is cut away and we come to Jesus. We are bringing the worst to Him to be on full display and it’s difficult. It’s never easy to stand exposed with all the worst parts of to you on display, but you are no longer hiding.
Doesn’t it feel good to get rid of the sin that entangles us? The things that weigh us down and the sins that slowly smother us?
When our sins lay on the floor at the feet of Jesus, like hair clippings on a salon floor to be swept up and thrown away…new growth has already begun on our heads. But most importantly, there is new life within us through Christ.
We aren’t the same. We look different. We are different.
The double chin and back fat might still be there, but when you see yourself in the mirror that Christ allows you to hold for a moment to view the work done in your life, you are only concerned with what has changed. You admire the work done and just like you try to replicate your hairdresser’s style to your new mane…we must try to imitate Christ in everything we do. That’s your new main thing.
I can’t wait to start the new year with a new look on the outside…but what about a new look on the inside?
Trust me…I know it’s hard, but it feels so good.
