My life feels like a thousand little puzzle pieces I’m putting together to understand God’s picture of me.
Little by little, He helps me assemble a corner of that puzzle to teach me something new.
The most recent additions to my puzzle are my dreadlocks.
I gave myself a couple of baby locks late summer, leading me to months of wanting more and more.
Gradually, I self-pep-talked my way into getting my whole head done
until I finally got the courage last week.
Walking into the salon,
I had the whatever-I’m-young-and-dumb-and-can-do-whatever-I-want-so-why-not kind of attitude.
After I saw my long, thin hair I loved so much turn into a mess of frizzy chaos, I was stunned.
There was an array of shock, excitement, and a large majority of what-the-heck-did-I-just-do-to-myself.
Long before the appointment, I spent hours on Pinterest, predicting what I would look like. I had no idea why I wasn’t head over heels in love with my daydream becoming reality.
I finally realized how much identity I put into my hair.
“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.
Instead, it should be that of your inner self…”
1 Peter 3:3-4
There it is, crystal clear. How my hair looks isn’t in God’s standard of beauty.
Our identity should never be in our appearance.
He wants our hearts to be pure, kind, and loving to Him, others, and ourselves.
Whether my hair is pin straight or in dreadlocks or shaved, God thinks the same.
I’ve grown to love my dreads, not because of how they look but because of what they’ve taught me.
