Going Back to my Roots

Yes, it's me.

Apparently this is somewhat close to the color God intended my hair to be, because my stylist matched the color to my roots. I've been highlighting and lightening my hair for so long that I had no idea just how dark it had gotten under there. (That's just begging for a spiritual application, but will have to wait for another day.)

Why now? Actually, for the past few months I've been feeling like I needed to make a change to something that would require less maintenance. I felt like I was spending way too much money having to go in and get my roots covered up every 6-8 weeks. It just felt wrong, but I couldn't exactly put my finger on why.

Since I began reading Crazy Love with my Bible study girls in January, God has completely rocked my world. Do not read this book if you are afraid to confront some serious truth in Scripture. I have begun praying and asking God to point areas of my life out to me where I can sacrifice in order to give more away.

When I was in Haiti, I was overwhelmed with the truth of the world's orphan population. It is no longer a statistic to me to hear that there are 147 million orphans in the world. Some of those kids now have faces and names and have etched their way into the corners of my heart. When I hear Jesus say to take care of the least of these, it's now impossible for me to pretend I don't know who he's talking about.

While I was there, I was asking God to forgive me for my long-standing pattern of throwing leftovers at the poor. I've given enough to make me feel like I was doing something. When I compare my giving to others, it holds up pretty well. When I compare my giving to what Jesus gave, it looks far less impressive.

So as I was praying and asking God to point things out to me that needed to change, I very clearly heard Him say, "Why don't we start with your hair?" I know to some of you that will sound ridiculous. To some of you that might sound terrifying. To me, it felt like freedom.

I realized that He had been preparing me in the preceding weeks for just that moment. He even allowed me to have a conversation with another team member who had spent the last year growing all of the color out of her hair because she wanted it to be healthier. All of that culminated in this one moment where He could speak to me and know I was ready to listen. It was beautiful.

So I made the decision to just go for it. Rather than gradually darken my blonde over time, I figured we might as well dye it all the color that my roots are going to come in and eventually all of the dyed stuff will get cut off. Yes, the shock factor was greater than I expected. But I am experiencing a freedom in this that is so worth it.

No, I do NOT think it is a sin for anyone to color their hair. Please believe that. I am not judging anyone for doing so. I've done it forever, seriously. I, in no way, want to impose my conviction on anyone else. That is what is so beautiful about a deeply personal, intimate God. It's just that for me, at this particular point in my life, I felt like He was asking for this. It was my privilege to put it on the altar.

For the amount of money I spend a year to have blonde hair, I can send two Ugandan children to school with clothes and two meals a day in their tummies. I'm pretty sure they're not going to care what I look like.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. (Romans 12:1)