Growing Hair for God

(First, a disclaimer. Nearly all my blogs have deep spiritual messages...at least deep for me. This one is maybe a little less deep. God is in it....He is in everything I write one way or another...but some days my spiritual reservoirs run a little dry....)

For many years I have had very short hair, but now that my hair is turning grey and a little witchy looking, I felt it was time to grow it long again. (Yes, I am aware that doesn't make sense to you either....)

Who knows why I am doing this? Maybe to recapture my youth. Maybe to save a bundle on haircut bills. Maybe to hide my wrinkles. Maybe to keep my neck warm. Anyway, it is almost shoulder length for the first time in decades. In the process, I have discovered something important.

Long hair is annoying.

First, every time I go to brush my teeth, hair falls all over my face and gets in the way when I try to rinse my mouth. Second, my hair brush is full of hair balls that are difficult to remove. Third, when I try to wash dishes or cook and my hands are soapy, greasy, or covered in some sort of crud, my hair is in my mouth, my nose, and my eyes. I shake my head giving myself whiplash to try to force my hair out of all my orifices, but that doesn't work. Fourth, long hair takes forever to dry. Fifth, long hair clogs sinks and scatters about the bathroom floor like skinny worms.

There are many other annoying aspects of long hair but you get the point.
Now I have two questions:
1. How do you people with long hair manage? Why does everyone with long hair except me seem to be not eating it or sweating under it or blinded by it in the wind every time they walk outside? They all look feminine. I look frazzled. What am I doing wrong?
2. Why does the Bible say long hair is a woman's glory?

Here I am trying to be fiscally conscious and not spend a fortune every 6 weeks on haircuts, and following the Biblical suggestion that long hair is to my glory...and all I am reaping is grief. For about the first ten minutes after I blow it dry and brush it neatly in place, it looks great and I am so happy I have long hair. And then for the next 23 hours and 50 minutes I am cursing it. I understand I could tie it up in a ponytail, but what is the point of long hair if all you do is pull it up into short hair?

So I decided to discern what God really thinks about long hair. I did a word study in the Bible on long hair. Surprisingly, God talks quite a bit about hair. Long hair is a woman's glory, and yet she should not be vain about it with undue attention, fancy braiding or adornment. Her beauty should be internal, focusing on the matters of God not her external appearance. The mighty Samson's strength was in his long hair, but that was not due to any intrinsic power of the hair as much as the power of God and His Spirit working in His people. A careful reading of Samson's story in the book of Judges reveals the power of obedience, faith, and abiding by one's vows...the hair is an outward symbol of an inward state.

However, not one word of advice anywhere is in the Bible on how to keep long hair out of your mouth and eyes when your hands are covered with dishwashing soap. It is telling that in 1 Corinthians Paul mentions that people want to argue about hair. I guess I am not alone in worrying about this problem of hair.

But the most important verse about hair is that the very hair on our heads is numbered by God. Not a sparrow falls to the ground without his notice, and every strand of our hair is counted. God loves us so much that every part of us, to our very hair, long or short, is important to the creator of the Universe.
That gives me pause as I contemplate ripping it out.

*****************
But long hair is a woman’s glory. Long hair is given to her as a covering. Some people may still want to argue about this, but I would add that neither we nor the churches of God have any other practice. (1 Corinthians 11:15, 16 NCV)

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, (Matthew 10:29-32 ESV)






-save a dog- hollowcreekfarm.org
http://www.amazon.com/Vicky-Kaseorg/e/B006XJ2DWU