Vanity?

All the while I’ve thought about my “someday-hair-do”, I’ve wondered.  Is my hair-style dream just vanity? Shouldn’t I be more worried and concerned with other things besides my hair?

You know, things like:

money

my kids

my husband

summer plans

housing situation

car issues

salvation (family members)

world peace

wells in africa

adoption

 

Oh, I could go on.

But I soon realized that none of that, not one single itemized worry, could do anything for my identity. Who I am.

But I just knew this hair-style would.

Or did I?

I’ve been putting it off for some time now (Close to 10 years), because I didn’t know or think that other people would like it, or that it would match with who I was pretending to be.

But, God.

I knew that God had placed a special kind of reaching in my heart to those who sometimes sport this particular hair-style.  They are usually considered to be the unreachable of society–not because they ARE unreachable, but because our society in particular treats those with less, those who don’t have, those who choose to be different, to say “screw the system”, those who choose to live with less,  those who may have mental issues and have made poor life choices, well, we (as a society) treat them as less than.  Less than human. Less than people.  Less than us. Less than image-bearers of God.  I’ve had it on my mind and heart over the past 10 years to be able to reach out and help the homeless, the orphaned, the degenerate, down-and-out members of society, the “freaks” whom the “Christians” won’t have anything to do with.

 

It’s always kind of bugged me, no, actually, agitates me to my core, that Jesus talked and walked and loved and taught anyone who came into His path. In fact, He often sought out the members of His society who were the untouchables, the unreachables, the not-wanted’s.  He had dinner with them, He let them minister to Him, and He loved them. So why, as followers of Jesus, have we taken on a somewhat superior attitude  of being better than all the rest because of  where we happen to go to church on Sunday morning?

 

One of the reasons I’ve put off so long what I did to my hair was vanity, pride, and just general I-really-do-care-what-people-think.

But in learning what I am, who I am, what God has called me to be (lots more on this later), I’m learning that no one’s opinion of me, my choices, or my hair counts. No one but THE ONE. 

My identity in Christ is so set, so firm in my heart and mind now, you couldn’t pry it away with chocolate.

I know who I am, and I know what He thinks of me.

All because I renounced the lies of the enemy of my soul, and sought God with all my heart. He promises that those who seek Him will find Him.

So with that, I give you a first glimpse of my I-love-it-and-I-don’t-particularly-care-if-you-don’t hair-do.  it’s still in its baby stages.  Infancy, if you will.

But the fruit that has come from this one simple change in my heart and life has shown me God’s faithfulness.  Over and over again. And His immense caring for those of us who are struggling. (There are a lot of us, by the way.)

He does care. He wants to know you. He really does. Seek Him.

 

(I’ve decided it’s NOT vanity. It’s quite the opposite. It’s laying aside vanity for Beauty.)

(these pics–the first one, taken yesterday while babysitting.  don’t mind the laundry on the other couch. there were more important things. the second? Don’t mind the laundry  hanging from the treadmill.  Apparently, I have laundry issues.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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