I was sitting in the chair as the stylist snipped away. At one point I'd noticed she had suddenly stopped, and after a long pause I heard her say, "Sick!"
Startled, I looked up into the mirror to see horror and disgust written all over the stylist's face.
She turned and called loudly to my dad sitting over in the waiting area, "You need to get here out of here. She has lice."
(Thanks for the discretion there. Although I'm sure there was someone in upstate New York who didn't quite hear you.)
She yanked the apron off me, and forced me to do a walk of shame from the chair to my dad while people eyed me nervously. After all, everyone in the place had heard her announcement.
It was a nightmare for an already-self-conscious 8-year old. I felt humiliated. Unclean.
Since I was mid-haircut when she discovered the lice, we had to go to the store with my unintentionally asymmetrical hairdo to buy a head lice kit, go home, do the treatment, and THEN return that same day to have the other half of my hair cut.
I plainly understood one thing that day--I was not to return until I was clean.
But that was just one day, one unfortunate incident. Can
you imagine how those with leprosy must feel, being
constantly and publicly avoided and declared "unclean" -- the unending rejection and looks of disdain? I experienced a day of being declared unclean. Theirs is an agonizing lifetime of it!But Jesus. Jesus bent to touch the ones afflicted. Met the gaze of those suffering. Dared to touch the unclean...and then make them clean.
"Come back when you're clean" never exited the mouth of Jesus. No prerequisite of cleaning up our act before we run to Him. Jesus welcomes the revolting, bidding them come to receive what He freely gives. In our ugliness we are rescued from the dirty depths and pulled from the miry pits. We are received in our filthiest state, loved deeply...and made clean.
But God demonstrates His love for us in this:
While we were STILL SINNERS, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8
i do not like that lady. mean.
ReplyDeletejesus would have kept cutting your hair,and spared you the humiliation. he would have told you or your dad that you had lice- which is common, and how to remedy it.
i'm glad that while we were still sinners Christ died for us... and for mean hair cut lady. we need it!
btw- please remove your word verification. it takes a lot of entries to comment. sometimes turns commentors away.
Thanks for that--I didn't even realize it was on so thanks for letting me know! :)
DeleteThea this is filled with so much TRUTH! I heard someone say a few weeks ago that you have to get a hold of your sin *before* you can become a Christian. While I do agree that in order to become a Christian you have to come to the end of yourself and realize that you can do nothing to atone for your sins, I don't think we can expect people who DO NOT have the Spirit of God in them get a hold of their sins by themselves. It made for interesting conversation with my theologian husband!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post, friend!
Agreed...although I think that sometimes the church can be a bit better at not leading people outside the church to believe that they need to get their act together before walking in the doors. At the same time, there is that point when Christ says those sweet words of grace: "I don't condemn you." BUT--just a breath later he says the equally love-filled words, "Go sin no more." I know I for one am beyond-words grateful that I can bring my mess to him and know I'll be received! Thanks Amanda!
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