7.16.2007

A Stylistic Conversation

This weekend I went to a stylist. Yes... the kind that cuts hair. That's not the story. I've gone to stylists but I must admit, I'm not very loyal. Most of the cuts end up the same way and I had previously cut my hair since I was about 13 years old. It's only been in the last year or two that I've been going to stylists.

Anyway... back to the lecture at hand (Dr. Dre reference)... I went to a new stylist and it is likely one that I will revisit. Not only is my cut different than before but also the experience was very different. I had a fantastic conversation. Nearly all of my conversations with sylists end up on spiritual things but this one ended up being a bilateral conversation where I gained more insight into her mindset and she into mine.

While she considers herself to be 'spiritual' she has (like many) been put off by the people who represented Christ in her world. She did have one friend however who has been a Christian light to her. She said that she turns to this friend for advice regularly and to understand life from a religious perspective when it doesn't make sense. She spoke highly of this Christian example and she even said "Things seem to always go right for her." I asked "What then is the reason you don't turn and follow Jesus like your friend? What are you holding on to?" Her countenance changed and she said "Honestly? I like to hang with friends and my Christian friend is against alcohol." So there you have it folks... Christian prohibition is the roadblock.

After more conversation I asked her about her family life. She mentioned that her husband won't go for church. I challenged her to seek out Christ on her own and when she finds Christ he'll make her a satisfied customer and nothing promotes new business like a satisfied customer. I said "As long as you keep preaching to him that the whole family needs some concept called "religion" but you haven't tasted it yourself, it's like me trying to tell people to trust you with their hair when I've never been to your Salon. A light came on. She said "No Christian has ever helped me to see that before. You honestly have changed my perception of how it should be. I don't have to force it on my husband if he's not ready... most of the time I hear the opposite."

After hearing that Jesus was accused of being a drunkard (she'd be in good company) and showing her that the best thing she could do for faith in her family is to get off her husband's back and get with Christ... we ended our conversation with kind words about one another and a promise to pick up the conversation in a few weeks. While I like my haircut, I will be returning to this stylist for reasons far beyond my vanity.

No comments: