The Bald and the Beautiful

“…He will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair.” Isaiah 61:3

It feels like the fiery assault of the past few months of the mourning and despair of chemotherapy have calmed down and what is left is a pile of ashes. And yet, in those very ashes, my God is pulling out a crown of beauty for me. Granted my crown right now looks a lot like a bald head, but it is indeed still a crown. Rather than resent it, I am choosing to embrace it as a joyous blessing and festive praise. How, you might ask. Well, there is beauty in baldness you just have to look deeper to find it, like:

*It saves WATER: (and hence the environment) My shower times are so short that I can’t even listen to a whole song while i am in there. I often put on music when I am in the shower. The other day I put a praise song, got undressed and jumped into the shower. The song hadn’t even finished and I was out and drying off. With nothing to shave and no hair to wash, it’s just in and out in less than 2 minutes!!!

*It saves TIME: Let me tell you, I can get ready in next to no time these days (and like I said above, take a shower in no time flat!). What used to be hours of blow drying, straightening, adding product, styling, etc… has boiled down to combing my wig and putting it on my head – and that is just on the days I go out!! All of the other days, my prep and primp time is zero!!

*It saves MONEY: No products, no fancy shampoos and conditioners, no electricity for blow drying and straightening, I wish I had done the math but I swear I have saved us a bundle of money!!

*It saves SHAME: Last week someone found hair in the food I had made. I was able to stay way OUT of that blame game. There was no possible way that I could have been the culprit!

So, as you can see, He always brings beauty from ashes and when we search for it, we will find it and with it will come joy and festive praise. The next time you feel that you are in the fiery furnace of suffering, hold tight, He is working out beauty in those very ashes!

I’m thankful today to be part of the Bald and the Beautiful for my Lord!