Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Hannah and Joseph

As I mentioned before, I previously was a hairstylist. What people say about "Only my hairdresser knows!" really is true. For some reason, as soon as a client sit in your chair, you automatically become their best friend, whether they are young or old. Secrets are shared, tears flow and gossip is rampant between client and hairstylist. It is truly one of the most unique relationships I have ever experienced.

Being a hairstylist has changed me in a lot of ways. I view things differently. I learn to not take people necessarily at face value. I discover ways to accentuate hidden beauty. But most of all, I learn to be friends with extremely diverse people. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't miss that interaction with my clients.

What would surprise me the most would be how often God would reveal Himself to me through my clients. I came across an old journal entry I had written about a year ago that gives a little glimpse into my life as a stylist:

"Oh the beauty of child-like faith! Hannah was three years old, with fluffy blonde curls. She was perched on a booster seat, squirming, tilting her head this way and that while I tried to cut her hair, all the while chattering away incessantly. Every other phrase started off with, 'But why?' as she would scrunch up her nose in deep contemplation. Suddenly, she let out a big gasp, and her round blue eyes got even rounder.

'I have a movie about Joseph!' she squeaked.

'Oh ya?' I replied, smiling.

Hannah nodded her head vigourously.

'And he had brothers and his brothers SOLD him! And they threw him in a pit and they SOLD him!'

She looked intently at me for a proper reaction.

'Oh no!' I said. 'Did they throw him in a pit because he had a colourful coat and his dad loved Joseph more than them?'

Her eyes widened even more, shocked that I would know the same story.

'Yes! And they SOLD him! And he went far, far away and then his brothers came back and they became friends and they lived happily ever after. The end.'

Hannah was beaming, so proud that she had so accurately depicted the Joseph story.

After this vivacious little three-year-old left, I couldn't help but marvel at the transparency, the vulnerability, the pure excitement she had over one simple Bible story. God put Hannah in my chair today to show me His love and His faithfulness.

'Oh, God!' I cried out. 'Give me the courage and faith of Hannah - to proclaim Your love and forgiveness without shame. Give me the strength to cling to childlike faith. Help me to never forget that likewise, You SOLD Your Son - You SOLD Him! So that He could forgive me, and be my friend, and we could live happily ever after. The end.'"

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