“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. 7And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. 8I tell you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will also confess him before the angels of God.…”’Berean Standard Bible

At the Barber

I always had thick and unruly hair. I have had a tumultuous relationship with my hair. I remember that as a child when my hair was to be combed after washing, it was pure torture. Combs would break because of the sheer resistance of my hair to be tamed. Hours were spent with me before the gas stove, as hot combs were heated to straighten my hair, all in a bid to make it more manageable. The smell of singed, burning hair, ears, and skin was a normal part of this exercise. For my graduation from grade 11, I relaxed (creamed) my hair. This brought out a different kind of beauty and unruliness that I enjoyed. I did all the various styles: layered, long, flip, short, bob you name it. One of my favorite days like this was my wedding day, the crowning glory of my relaxed hair. I was in love with my hair.

Therefore, imagine when I was told that I would lose my hair due to chemotherapy, I was devastated to say the least!!. The oncologist told me she would tell me when this would happen. I was not going to wait around for this. I did a preemptive strike: I went to the barber and told him to cut it all off so that when that day for losing hair came, there would be much less to lose. Cutting my hair off was a painful day for me as I felt that a major part of me was gone. Weeks later, the real deal happened, I lost my hair on the head, eyebrows, face, and feet. Losing some unwanted hair like the ones on my chin (ugh) I celebrated but losing my eyebrows was hard. It did not help that my features were distorted from the chemotherapy. Nevertheless, I catalogued my hair journey as I took pictures, wore wigs, and just lived.

While going through this journey of hair loss, the Holy Spirit of Jesus brought back to remembrance passages in Matthew and Luke: “Why even the very hairs of your head are all numbered “. The context was that sparrows are sold for a mickle but are not forgotten by God and we are worth more than sparrows. This word was such a comfort to me. Knowing that God valued me enough to number my hairs even the ones I lost. Interestingly, this is recorded for us by Matthew, the tax collector who is an accountant/auditor by training whose concern is the value of the item, and by Luke, the doctor who would be concerned about one’s health. God was strategic in using those two apostles to remind me in that moment of hair loss of my value and my health in God’s sight and that nothing about my life escapes the notice of God. This affirmation by God enabled me to embrace my new look and taught me about the blessings of God. I even started to make jokes at myself. One of them I remember was saying Hair #58 you are needed for higher service, time to leave Lois now. Only God could bring joy out of pain.

So today I celebrate my hair again but this time recognizing that it is a gift from God that can be given or taken away. I enjoy doing different things with it knowing that like Job I have been given double blessings after the trial with new hair numbers on assignment.

Prayer
Father God, thank you that, indeed all the hairs on my head have been numbered, created by you for a purpose. Help me to live my life intentionally on purpose as you took the time to form me for such a time as this. Help me to value those I encounter each day affirming their value as your children no matter how insignificant the relationship may be. In Jesus’ name. Amen.