Getting a haircut should not be a source of stress. Over the years, however, I have found it difficult at times to find just the right person to trust. I can count on one hand the number of people who fall into my Haircut Hall of Fame. Everyone else was just auditioning to be the next ONE.
The young lady I have been going to for about a year and a half is named Crystal. I just happened to amble into the new (at that time) salon that had opened up in the new shopping development. It was new, nice, and they had a coupon in the paper. You know the drill: walk in, sign in, wait for your name to be called, and step forward. Crystal was the luck of the draw. Right off the bat, she had a lot going for her. I call them the 3-C's: Cute, Clean and Cigarette-free (seemingly)- just the qualities you want from someone who stands 4 inches away from you and constantly runs their fingers through your hair.
I got a great haircut at a great price in close proximity to where I live and work and a nice, decent, down-home, fun, yet, talented hair stylist. I was hooked. So every four, five, seven weeks, I would make the call ("Is Crystal in?"), then make the drive and get the haircut. Last November when my youth group kids shaved my head in preparation for my trip to Sudan, I did not show up for a haircut for 2 months. In January, when I showed back up, she wondered where I had been, laughed at my ragged hair and cut away.
During the course of my visits, I made it a point to be intentional about my relationship with Crystal. The first day, I talked about my wife and daughter so that there would be absolutely no question that this was anything other than a haircut. Each time I would try to find out a little more about her in order to gauge her spiritual life. My vocation did not come up until the time when members of my church were there and it just naturally came out in the conversation. When the conversation from surrounding stylists and their clients strayed into PG-13 areas (or worse), I did not judge or jump out of my chair and storm out.
Gradually, Crystal began to share things of a more personal nature. Young cousins who were having children out of wedlock, trouble with boyfriend, trouble with parents and trouble with siblings were among the topics. I just sat, listened and counseled only when she specifically asked me to.
Finally, at the beginning of this month, she informed me that she would be leaving that salon and opening her own. Since she was telling me in hushed tones, I gathered that she did not want to let the cat out of the bag. I gave her my number and told her to call me later on and let me know where she would be. Last Tuesday, I received that call.
Why share this? The last thing I want to do is puff myself up or pat myself on the back. That is NOT what this is about. After all, I had really done nothing other than live the life... the life of a Christ-follower. The reason I share this is because in my conversation about being a Christ-follower, it serves as a decent example of what I am talking about. It is not about trying to bring a person to Christ in church. It is all about taking Christ to them as He lives in you (Colossians 1:27) and you in Him. It could be in the workplace, at your favorite coffeehouse, at school, or wherever life takes you...even the local barber shop.
I once heard sharing your faith described in terms of a flowing river (the river of life???). You do not want to over do it like a river that overflows its banks and boundaries causing an uncontrollable flood, nor do you want to be too subdued like the river that dries up for lack of water flow. You want to maintain a steady faith-flow within the boundaries (banks) of the Holy Spirit, the Counselor.
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