Clean Hair: A Spiritual Experience

Today's victory... Clean hair! Yes folks, after 5 days of allowing my natural oils to "nourish" my scalp and hair, I couldn't take it any longer!! Bless my sweet mom. I think both of us are glad there were no witnesses or hidden cameras. Trying to wash the (nasty) hair of someone who cannot move their neck OR get that same neck wet is no small task. It was uncomfortable- for both of us! But the result was heavenly. Having clean hair made me feel that much closer to normal. Clean hair may seem small, but today it was huge!

The pure joy I got from having clean hair gave me pause to think about WHY I was feeling that way. Then it led down the road of realizing that without help I couldn't have pulled it off. Washing my hair today was an act of service. Something my mom did for me that may have seemed insignificant but changed the trajectory of my day.

In the Bible they talk quite a bit about foot washing. I'm guessing those stinky sandal feet felt about as gross as my 5-day-dirty head. Rarely in scripture do you hear about people washing their own feet. Rather, foot washing was offered as a service- a sacrifice of convenience and probably a yucky one at that. I'm guessing that the result was not too far off from what I experienced this morning, a new lease on the day. An opportunity to comfortably stay in the community of others without feeling the shame of being unclean.

Isn't that what Christ did for us? Yes, he ended up literally washing a lot of those disciples' feet, but ultimately he served in an even greater way. Jesus offers us a cleanliness that we, on our own, could not accomplish? It came at his personal expense but he offered it anyway because he knew it is what we needed to live a fresh life in Him- as long as we allow him. Today I am thankful for clean hair AND the reminder of what new life in Christ can feel like.