Getting Pruned

Dear reader, 

I went and got a haircut one day. 

Just another routine task that needed to be accomplished. 

I went in there with a picture of Charlie Hunham, showed the stylist, and sat down in the chair. 

As I began telling him what I wanted an odd thing happened. He kept telling me the same thing over and over. “You don’t want that.” 

I was taken aback. 

The stylist wasn’t being rude, or unkind with his words. He just kept telling me over and over what I wanted wouldn’t look good. So then he proceeded to do what He thought was best. 

I have had my hair cut multiple times in my life. But this was a first that the stylist did what he thought was best, not what the customer wanted. 

As the cut continued, he kept stopping and asking me “Do you like this?” 

In the back of my mind, I would think, “No. That’s not what I wanted.” 

But externally I would say “That’s looking alright.” 

Some people would say I am a very passive person. 

I would agree. I can be anyway.  

I don’t always have the confidence to say what I want to, and to avoid conflict and confrontation I will shut up for the sake of peace amongst the parties involved. 

As the haircut finished I turned my head around and observed the mirror my stylist held up. 

“What do you think?”

It’s not what I wanted. 

Obviously, my hair was shorter, which was the ultimate goal of my visit today.

I agreed with some of his choices, but in the end, it didn’t look the way I wanted at all. 

I looked at the stylist's badge so I could thank him for his work and wouldn’t ya know it, the name struck a cord. 

Jesus. 

Jesus cut my hair today. 

Now. As I sat in my car I stopped myself. 

What would it look like if Jesus cut off everything that I liked but he didn’t?

All my favorite sinful thoughts. 

All my go-to course jokes.

All the glorious failures I love to hold onto all for some reason. 

What if Jesus wanted to cut that off? 

What if I told Jesus I wanted to keep it, would he honor my request, or would he act on my behalf knowing full well that I don’t know what’s best for myself?

If you know me, I don’t care very much about my outer appearance. Never have, and hopefully never will. But my hair is something I’ve always kept guarded for some reason. (This is extremely ironic seeing as I wear a hat 24/7.)

I had to let go of that today. Jesus literally cut it off of me. 

There is nothing that you can hold back from God. I repeat there is NOTHING that you can hold back from God. 

He is the creator of all things. 

He is the king of all things. 

He owns all things. 

To Him we owe everything. 

To walk into this Easter season it is a great reminder of all the things we must let go of. 

Our pride. 

Our lusts of the flesh. 

Everything we hold close that’s not God. 

As Jesus cuts parts of us off does he need to ask permission to do so?

I must admit today I did not walk away happy. 

But I walked away with an unbreakable truth. 

Jesus’ died on the cross for my every past, present, and future sin. He has every right to cut off anything that is within me internally and externally that He doesn’t want there. 

Sincerely Your Shorter Haired Friend,

-Mitchell