A Chop Off the Old Block

Sometimes, due to life and health (or lack of), over 2 and a half years pass by and you haven’t been able to get your hair cut. And then at one point you think to yourself, “Hmm, I wonder if my hair is long enough to donate…” and you think about how wonderful it would be if God could make beauty from the ashes of your way-too-long-in-desperate-need-of-a-cut hair. And then you look at your lovely daughter, who also has not had a hair cut in ages, and you wonder, “Hmm, I think HER hair might be long enough to donate, too…” Then you wonder if you are ready to give your baby girl a bob cut and you ask your husband and he is not so sure about that either.

But, you and your little girl, whom some call a “chip off your old block,” find a place that provides free wigs to children who suffer from permanent hair loss. You watch a video together about a little girl who has lived the first many years of her life with no hair. You talk about the challenges she must face and how beautiful she is because she is made in God’s image. Your little girl, who was hesitant to cut her hair into a bob at first, decides that this very small sacrifice she has the power to make could bring a lot of joy to a little girl just like her who has this need.

As you are contemplating all of these things, you find out one of your favorite people on the planet has just been diagnosed with a very serious and rare breast cancer. You cry your eyes out and pray fervently and then when you finally get to see her through the waterfall in your eyes, you ask her with a lump in your throat, “Do you want my hair?” She already has a wig purchased so she doesn’t need yours, but now you are truly determined to give your hair away.

So you grab your daughter’s hand and you march to the salon together. The stylist cuts 17 inches off the longest point of your hair and an average of 13 inches from your little girl’s hair. And you each smile big after taking these huge chops off your old blocks…and you realize your daughter is still a chip off of yours.

Your heart swells as you read the letter your daughter includes with her donation:

Dear Friend, I hope that you are able to trust God in this hard situation. I encourage you to read the bible and pray without ceasing. Have courage and don’t give up, even if people make fun of how you look. You can depend on God through any hard trial and remember that He is always with you. Love, Selah Bethany Moberg P.S. I really hope you like your wig.

And now, all you can do is hope and pray that some little girl (or two) feels the love of the Lord through your small sacrifices. You continue to hope and pray for your dear friend who is fighting cancer hard. May He make beauty out of all of our ashes.

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