My favorite "Outer-Beauty" Tips (Part 1 – Hair)

Has Spring sprung in your closet yet?

As I was cramming clothes in my closet putting up some laundry, I realized that Spring has sprung in my closet right alongside my winter wardrobe, and like the weather down here in the Delta, my closet is now bi-polar.  That wouldn’t be a problem if I had a huge closet.  But since I use much of James’ space too James and I share one closet, I don’t have the option of keeping all of my clothes out at the same time.  Actually, I never have.  So, like many of us, I go through this ritual each spring and fall: The purging of and changing of the wardrobe.  It’s almost as serious of a routine as Buckingham Palace’s Changing of the Guards.  But it’s a lot more fun! 😉

I’ve shared this practically every Spring and Fall since I’ve been blogging.  It is truly one of my most favorite outer-beauty tips.  I love it that God cares about the details of the same things we care about.  I love Him.  Invite Him to help you in every thing you do – and you’ll be surprised at how enjoyable a dreaded chore can become. 

Today, the HAIR.  Next, the WARDROBE.

Blessings to you this week my friends… We’re still on borrowed internet… It comes and goes like the Spring weather down here. (grin).  May the beauty of our Lord surround you, fill you, and flow from you this week~

Jennifer

God has graciously planted me in a place of ministry where He has called me to serve and relate to women of all kinds.  I’m so glad that He did!  Besides being a child of His, a wife and mother, serving God in this way is my greatest joy. 

Along with that calling, He has called me to keep myself current – not focused on self-beauty or fashion so that I’ll look the best – but, so that in the particular line of ministry He has through me, He can look the best. God calls other women to lay aside the trappings of outer “beauty” so that their inner beauty will shine through – and that is wonderful.  (I used to feel guilty when I’d see a woman called to this, and think of myself as self-centered and selfish.)  But God has helped me understand that in the line of ministry He has placed me, He will use the outer shell for His glory just like He uses the inner self- if His glory is my only focus and motivation.  With all my heart, I can say that it is.  He has used this part of my life and how He has kept me “current” to bring Himself great glory, and to remind others that He wants to be a part of e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. we consider. 

Through giving myself totally to God, He has helped me celebrate and decorate who He has made me to be.   With that said… If God has called you to stay “fashionably current”,  here is my MOST important outter-beauty tip for both Hair and Wardrobe: PRAYER! Yep.  You heard me.  Prayer.

Here’s how I stumbled upon this amazing fashion secret:

Years ago, when I was in the 6th grade, I had one of those “luminescent moments” and realized that since God made my hair, and kept count of the numbers of hairs on my head (Matthew 10:30), He could help me fix it every day. (I’m thankful for it now, but I have difficult hair – curly, thick, coarse, and especially back then, totally big.) It took about 30 minutes to wash and blow it dry each day, and I couldn’t communicate with anyone during that time, so I started spending that time talking to the Lord. One day I asked Him if He would help me fix my hair… and He did! I made that a practice, and started having good hair days on a frequent basis.

By the time I got in the 7th grade, I promised the Lord that if He would fix my hair, I’d give Him the glory for it. He has kept His end of the bargain, and I’ve tried to keep mine. For all of these years, God has helped me fix my hair each morning – in giving me ideas, or by just plain making it move a certain way. I get hair compliments from strangers almost every time I go out of the house. They’ll say something like “I love your hair… who does it?” and I’ll say something like “Thank you so much. Actually, Kellye cuts and colors it and God helps me fix it every day.”  

That usually gets one of three responses – Sometimes they get it – and we rejoice in how wonderful the Lord is that He cares about us – to the tiniest detail, OR, they look at me with this glazed expression and say “how nice” and walk away. OR they look puzzled and want to know more. I then get to tell them about how God cares about the things that we care about, because He loves us so much. I can promise them that God is big enough to take care of the major needs of the world and still keep count of the number of hairs on each of our heads, and that there is nothing too small to bring to Him.

{The Lord and I cut a little on my hair Sunday.  Well, actually more than a little.  When I gathered it up from the sink to throw away – it looked like a furry animal the size of a mouse!)  I was trying to grow it out so that I can be less high-maintainance – but it’s not working.  I’m a high-maintainance gal, and that’s who God has created me to be.  I’ve been asking Him for direction for my hair, cut, person, etc… and in my quiet time yesterday, He gave me an idea of how to shape it up to the way I liked it best.  (Like in my profile pic.) I now feel like my old self, high poof, and all!  I’m just wondering how in the world to answer when someone asks me about this cut!  And what will they do when I say, “God”?  We’ll see…}

For the record – I have had some bad hair days – where I’ve reminded God that “we’re in this together, and this is Yours… are You sure about this???”  But because of knowing that God is taking care of that part of my life, I’ve just asked Him to cover my head like a Holy Helmet (prefereably without giving me holy helmet hair) – and let others only see what He wants them to see: Himself in and through and flowing from me.  Then I sincerely try to let it go. When it comes back to my mind, or when I pass a mirror, I’ll say something like “God, please cover my hair with Yourself!”.  And then I move on.  One less thing to have swirling about in my already blonde brain! 

In the scheme of things – hair is so unimportant.  But to a woman, it is huge.  If it’s huge to us – it’s on God’s mind, too. 

Here me on this: Please don’t think I’m triviliazing the concerns of the world and that the focus of my walk with The Lord is in spending all of my prayer time on my hair!  I promise I don’t.  I pray as I fix it.  God is with me anyway, why not talk to Him about it? 

If you know how All Powerful God is, and believe that He is the Creator and Sustainer of all things, you’ll also belive that  God is BIG ENOUGH to handle the weight of the world, the suffering and dying, the lost, lonely, grieving, the wars and rumors of wars, politics, and something as small as our hair.  He is wise enough, big enough, powerful enough for us to give Him EVERY tiny detail of our lives.  He is preoccupied with all of us – so that we can be free to be preoccupied solely with Him.  If He has given us hair, and if we will give it back to Him, He will somehow use it for His glory.

Picture: Google Images