When Your Hair Goes to Seed, Praise God!

Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever.
Psalm 136:26 (NIV)

The other morning, I rolled out of bed, stumbled into the bathroom and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. Oh, no! My hair had gone to seed. You know what I mean. About every six weeks or so, gremlins come in the night and make your hair grow just enough that it’s ratty. You go to bed with your hair looking halfway decent, and you get up in the morning with it looking like . . . well . . . a plant that grew out of control and went to seed!

I called the beauty salon.

“JoAnn is out until Tuesday,” Cheryl told me. “Do you want an appointment with someone else?”



I didn’t. I complained about it on Facebook:

I really need a haircut. My hair went to seed last night, and my beautician isn't in until next Tuesday. Can I make it till then?

The replies came in:

Renae said: Sure you can. Wear a cute hat, and people will just think you're trendy.

I responded with:

How about a cheesehead? Would that work? (I live in Wisconsin.)

Joyce chimed in:

I'm in the same predicament, my hair is thick as mud and my appointment is on Wed., I don't know if I can hold out...anyone who needs hair, I will gladly donate. It's a hairy situation!

Then my friend Diana posted her reply:

It is a blessing to need a haircut--better than being bald and cold.

You might chuckle at that response, but wait. Diana just finished her last round of chemo after almost a year of fighting ovarian cancer. She gets it that hair is a blessing, especially in the middle of this cold, snowy winter.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Paul writes: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” I often forget to thank God for the little things. It is a blessing each time my heart beats. I am blessed when I open my eyes from sleep, and I can see. I should shout praises to God that I can hear, think, feel, walk, speak, breathe and a million other things that I take for granted!

Thank you, Diana, for reminding me that it is a blessing to need a haircut. And thank you, God, that my hair went to seed.

What Is Your Legacy?

You will make known to me the path of life
Psalm 116:11(a) [NASB]

I love sailing ships. I don’t mean cruise ships with their heated swimming pools and all-you-can-eat buffets, but old, wooden tall ships, the kind with masts and cloth sails. A few years ago, at a tall ship festival, I sailed on a replica of a three-masted schooner. As I stood on the deck savoring the sounds of waves slapping against the hull and the coolness of sea spray on my face, I felt certain that sailing was in my blood. But why did I feel that way? Why did it feel so right for me to be sailing on an old wood ship surrounded by nothing but water?

Years ago, my mother had shared with me bits of information about her ancestors. They fought in the Civil War and traveled cross-country in covered wagons. Maybe they lived in the colonies, but Mom wasn’t sure about that. Since I don’t like missing pieces, I began searching for them, and when I found them and put them together, I discovered something amazing.

My great-grandfather’s name was William Doty. His father was Nathan Doty. Nathan’s father was Joseph, and Joseph’s father was another William. His father was Jacob, and Jacob’s father was Isaac, and Isaac’s father was Edward. None of this meant anything to me until I dug deeper into the lives of these men. There I discovered my legacy—the path God set for my very existence.

Edward Doty was one of the first emigrants to live on what is now U. S. soil. Almost four hundred years ago, in 1620, he stood on the deck of a wooden tall ship 95-feet long with a three-masted rig of courses and topsails. While sailing from England to North America, he heard the waves slap the hull, and he felt the sea spray on his face, just as I would in the twenty-first century. It must have felt good to Edward, my seventh great-grandfather. It must have felt right as he headed toward his destination. The name of his ship? The Mayflower.

See? Sailing is in my genes.

Generation after generation, since the foundation of time, we are God’s children. He sets the course of our lives from birth to eternity. In the beginning, God said to Adam and Eve, “Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth.” Adam and Eve gave birth to Cain and Cain’s son was Enoch, and Enoch’s son was Irad . . . and on and on. The Bible says in Psalm 127:3, “Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.” (NIV) Do you know your heritage? Who walked ahead of you on the path of your life?

Have you ever experienced a déjà vu moment that might connect you with an ancient ancestor?

Manna in a Snowstorm

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Psalm 23:1

“Manna.” If you’re a Christian, you know the word and its story. In Exodus 16, we find the Israelites trekking through the desert grumbling about being hungry and blaming their leader, Moses. “We should have stayed home and taken our chances at being killed,” they said. “Back home, we had all the food we wanted, and now look, we’re starving, and it’s all your fault!” (Sounds like a road trip with the kids, doesn’t it?) Moses knew exactly what to do. He took the problem to God. And God said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you.” (Exodus 16:4a) Every morning, small white, round pieces of food appeared with the dew—manna. God provided the exact amount the Israelites needed, no more, no less.

This week in southeast Wisconsin, we’ve been walking through a frozen desert. Snow fell from the sky, lots of it, and as we faced digging out, we grumbled. “We should have gone to Florida for the winter! We’re stuck in the snow, and we’ll never get out.” Some of us took the problem to God, and it was no surprise that He provided manna—exactly what we needed, exactly when we needed it.

Tuesday evening a blizzard stranded motorists in their cars on the Interstate. When rescue workers couldn’t reach them, a local snowmobile club heard about it and volunteered to help. Manna. The blizzard got worse. Firefighters and paramedics couldn’t get through city streets to answer calls. The National Guard showed up in Humvees to help out. Manna. By daybreak on Wednesday, the storm had ended, and we faced moving two feet of snow and drifts up to ten-feet high. Neighbors helped neighbors. Strangers helped out. The mayor organized groups of volunteers to help the sick and elderly. Manna. During the Blizzard of 2011, our great and loving God provided for our needs just as he had for the Israelites back in Moses’ time.

Philippians 4:19 says, “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Whatever we need, whenever we need it, God provides.

What kind of manna has the Lord provided for you?