16 Inches Lighter

Wow, I will never get tired on bragging on God. He is wonderful. This week has been one that could have left me devastated a year ago but instead has allowed me to feel as liberated as one can. I will start by saying that I just got a major haircut. This is no small task to someone who was once told that it was her hair that bumped her up a notch from just being “average” to a little above. Most of my life’s compliments were about my hair and those words of affirmation gave me a secure feeling that I was being seen at times when I usually felt alone. However, last Friday I got the distinct impression that God was asking me to make a drastic change. For the first time ever, the thought was not that overwhelming. So to make a long story short…I’ll jump ahead and say Saturday I did it. Just 24 hours later I took a step. I did not research where or how, I just prayed for guidance and went to a nearby place that I didn’t even know existed prior to pulling into the parking lot. No appointment, no wait, and fifteen dollars later walked out a different person. It is so hard to describe. There was no shock or oddness about it, only a weight lifted that I had obeyed. I cannot say with 100% accuracy that my hair looks better shorter, but I can say for certain that I feel more beautiful then I ever have before. My hope is that people look through my physical appearance and see Christ changing me from the inside out. Even something as “insignificant” as hair had the ability to hold me back because I wasn’t willing to let go but once I realized that there is nothing I want to keep from Him, it was an easy decision. God looks past what we see to heal the underlying issue behind it. He cares about all aspects in our life and wants to be involved in all of them…even hair.

I guess where all this is going is that even in the leaps and bounds I have made over this year I know God is pushing me to do and be more. He has removed me from the protective shield of His wing and said, “Okay, now lets see how you walk”. I truly am starting to see what the Bible means when it asks us to transition from infants to mature Christians. It is less about what we believe and more about living out that belief.