I did it. I knew I shouldn’t. But I did it anyway. I cut my own hair. Sigh. More than just trimming the bangs. I whacked off all kinds of rogue parts. Parts that are now much rougue-er than before. Every time I take the scissors into my own hands, I promise myself I’ll never do it again. That’s because I end up with stray strands and Spock bangs. And yet this is definitely no way to live long and prosper.
When will I let this fully sink in? I am not good at cutting hair. When I try it, I’m operating miles outside my area of expertise.
The gal who cuts my hair, on the other hand, knows what she’s doing around a pair of haircutting scissors. She can trim, gel, clip, and mousse with the best of them. And she’s pretty adamant about me staying away from hair self-service. She knows I’ll undoubtedly come running and whining to her, begging her to straighten out whatever mess I’ve made. And yes, it’s always, always a mess.
Isn’t it strange that I would take the scissors into my own hands, knowing my past haircutting record? I’ve thought about it, and I don’t care how badly I needed any kind of operation, I’m quite sure I would never snatch the scalpel from the surgeon’s hand with a, “Oh, let me do that! I saw an appendectomy on one of those health channels one time. I can so do this.”
From an eternal perspective, I guess my hair – even my appendix – is not as important as it may seem. As a matter of fact, hair and body parts are simple compared to running a life. Yet how many times have I snatched away the controls on that too?
When I take control of my own life, I make a mess every time. Every. Time. I’m operating miles outside my area of expertise. I end up whining to the Father, “Lor-or-ord, can you fix this, plea-ea-ease?” Wouldn’t it be easier to simply be obedient in the first place?
We please God and show our love for Him by “surrendering the scissors,” so to speak, in complete abandon. Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love me, keep my commands” (CSB).
Then in John 15:9-11, Jesus tells us that we find real joy as we’re pleasing God, keeping his commands: “As the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commands you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete” (CSB).
Joy. And not just any joy. It’s a joy that’s complete. It’s real life. Even a longer life. Proverbs 10:27 says, “The fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the years of the wicked are cut short” (CSB).
It’s a sobering truth.
Still, did it have to say “cut short”? Just another reminder I’m spending the next couple of weeks suffering hair humiliation. Hair-miliation?