DOWN HOME:
God numbers our hairs, but we have to fix them
___Hair is gross. At least hair in the wrong places is gross, according to our daughters, Lindsay and Molly.
___Like every other absolute statement ever uttered, you have to put this in the proper context.
___Lindsay and Molly, and their mama, Joanna, all have more hair on their heads at this very minute than I'll have on mine the rest of my life. No matter how long I may live.
___On those occasions when one or the other of them decides to trim the length of her hair significantly, I always suggest she save that hair and make me a wig. And I'm not picky. I'll take Jo's red, Lindsay's light brown or Molly's blonde hair. Naturally--which is more than I can say for the proposed wig--they all look at me like I've lost my mind. It went with my hair.
___Observant readers may know the photo attached to this column is out of date. Last summer, I got a haircut. I mean a real haircut. A buzz, inspired by my cousin Jeanie's husband, Leslie, whose lack of hair, I think, looks great. Frankly, I got tired of fighting diminishing returns.
___Then, last Thanksgiving, on a lark, I didn't shave my chin whiskers for a long weekend. Much to my surprise, Joanna liked my goatee. So, I kept it. I may be lots of things, but I'm not dumb. If my wife likes something, I keep it.
___Now, we've got a trade-off. I keep the goatee for her and the buzz for me. (I love windy days, when I walk outside and think, "What do I care?") I'll probably keep them both--until Jo gets tired of them.
___And if I think they'll last, I might even have another picture taken.
___But back to gross hair. Lindsay and Molly have informed me that boys' hair is gross. They're not talking about the bleached and/or dyed, spiky 'dos so popular nowadays. They're talking about hair everywhere else--legs, arms, chest, underarms and the occasional back.
___"That stuff is awful," Lindsay reported when the subject came up (why, I'll never know) at dinner the other night.
___"Yeah, why can't they shave it off?" Molly chimed in. If that ever becomes a fad, I'm investing in Gillette.
___This whole discussion reminded me of other distinctive traits that shape our lives. Like talents and spiritual gifts, for example.
___We all know folks who seemed to be born with obvious and abundant abilities--a beautiful voice, discernment and wisdom, the knack for turning a profit, a keen sensitivity for the needs of others. You can list many others traits and abilities.
___Like flowing locks or receding hairlines, what matters most is not what we inherit, but what we do with what we've got.
___And even though God numbers the hairs of our heads, I've got a hunch God cares more about what we do with the abilities he gives us.
___
The Baptist Standard
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