I must trust in my Lord and God to give me the haircut that I need even when I do not realise that I need it…
My eldest son is almost fourteen years old. And that is a big deal. Things change when a child enters the teenage years.
When he was younger, we would make sure that his hair was cut nice and short once a month without any drama. A crew cut was the preferred haircut of choice. I liked this haircut for two reasons – firstly because it looked very neat and tidy (even when he refused to brush his hair in the morning), secondly because it stayed out of his face and thirdly because I believe that this is a hair style that most suits him and makes him look very beautiful.
As he approached the teenage years, he started to have some opinions about his hair. He wanted to grow the top part of it a little more so that he could style it as he wished. He stopped allowing me to spike it up and instead wanted to style it in his own way. And – because there really was not a lot of harm in this new approach – I allowed him to change the way he did his hair.
And then he turned thirteen. And things changed again. You see the girls in his class started to have opinions about what would look nice on him, and so now, he styles his hair differently. Long on top and brushed forward.
And I must say that both his father and I absolutely HATE this new hairstyle!
My mother-in-law has always told me that I should allow my sons to style their hair as they wish while they are very young. She reasons that since most men are likely to lose their hair during their lifetime, they should enjoy the fun while it lasts…
And so, although we hate this new hairstyle, we do not really stop him from styling his hair like this because it really does no harm.
And I have been thinking about that today, because it reminds me of God.
You know, there are so many parts of my life. I am a daughter, wife, mother, business-owner, mentor, sister and friend. And others are all of these things to me. But there is also another part of my life – I am also a Child of God… And this is perhaps the most important role that I play.
And my son’s various hairstyles are like all the various roles that I have in my life. And just as I allow the hairstyle when it does not harm my son (even if I would not have chosen it form him myself), so too does God allow me all the various roles that I have so long as they do not harm or interfere with the primary role in my life – as a CHILD OF GOD.
And I have been thinking about this today as I have been reflecting on the various successes and failures of my life… Because it seems to me that I must trust in my Lord and God to give me the haircut that I need even when I do not realise that I need it…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.