By Rhonda Rhea
Have you ever gone to a lot of trouble to get the perfect hair look? You gel, tease, mousse, iron, spray—everything just short of taking it to the kiln at the ceramic shop for a good firing. You finally get the exact hair look you’re going for, then you take your hand mirror and back up to the bathroom mirror only to find a frightening hair disturbance in your blind spot. Some call it a hurricane; it’s a giant swirly with a large eye. As a mother of five, I’ve often let my kids wonder if I had eyes in the back of my head, but I honestly never wanted any evidence.
The other day I found a major meteorological occurrence in the hand mirror. It started in the northernmost hair regions and moved slowly but steadily to the south, reeking hair destruction and devastation all along the path of the storm. No doubt a category five. Maybe we would call that a “hair-icane.” Okay, maybe not. But how in the world can I keep my head when my hair is gusting at break-neck speed? Time to board it up and put the whole mess in a ponytail?
It happens in life, too. Everything is going fine. Clear with only scattered challenges. Then suddenly a storm sneaks up on you from behind. It’s one of those high pressure systems that develops without much warning. Before you know it, blast the storm sirens, you’re in the middle of a giant swirly.
Those kinds of disturbances happen to everyone at some time or another. Thankfully, we have a Savior who gives us peace in the midst of the storm. As we trust Him, He can speak the words “Peace, be still” into every life and into every situation. It may not necessarily evade the hair instabilities, and it won’t necessarily make the storms go away, but it can certainly help us weather out the struggle. Every struggle. His peace is all we need to make it through.
So don’t be surprised when a swirly struggle hits. No need to have blind spots, spiritually speaking. Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you,” NIV. You can keep your head if your mind is fixed on Jesus and your heart is fully relying on and trusting in Him.
Let his peace rule and your day will feel so much sunnier. In every atmospheric condition.
And also in every shampoo and condition. (Rhonda Rhea is a Missouri Baptist pastor’s wife and a mother of five. She is a radio personality, conference speaker, humor columnist and author of seven books, including her newest book, Whatsoever Things Are Lovely: Must-Have Accessories for God’s Perfect Peace.)