Haircut

My hair is one thing that has always received praise. No matter how heavy I got, the hair was still "so pretty". The one thing that I knew was accepted and approved of by the world was my hair, so the longer the better. The more covered in goodness and prettiness I felt. Sad. What a false sense of self! That without my hair there was nothing of worth about me? I mean, that seems kind of dramatic, but that is the bottom line.

This weekend I went in for"just a trim", of course, but as I was sitting there these words that I had read earlier in the week about who I really am came to mind:

"You are a child of God. You are the Bride of Christ. You belong to the King--you are royalty. Dress and conduct yourself in a way that reflects your high and holy calling. God has called you out of this world's system--don't let the world press you into it's mold. Don't think, dress, or act like the world; inwardly and outwardly, let others see the difference he makes in your life." Nancy Leigh DeMoss

I realized that I would really like to cut my hair short, but the idea scared me because of the reasons I stated above. Going against what felt safe, I told her to keep cutting. When I had to close my eyes and cringe as the scissors began to do their work, I realized just how out-of-hand this had gotten. My hair had become some kind of false security. Cool thing? The more she trimmed, the more liberated I felt. The shorter and shorter it got, the more I felt that I was coming out of hiding. I actually left the salon, decided I needed more of it gone, went back and got the rest of it whacked off!

I can't really explain this experience. It was so refreshing. I'm not suggesting that everyone run out and get their hair cut off, that's totally not the point. The point is, are we hiding? Are we hiding behind things that we think are protecting us, but in reality they are doing no such thing.

I think its possible that what we need to lose more than anything else, are the ideas that have been etched on our hearts by the world. Be yourself and don't be afraid to be different! Don't be afraid to let go of something that you've been holding onto for a very long time. What if the truth is that it's actually holding you?

What false beliefs do we use to hide our REAL selves? Please share!