Safety

Haircuts- I endure them- Like shaving or flossing my teeth- Hair cuts are a necessary evil- A task on the To- Do List to be checked off. Now don't get me wrong- my Barber (Cathy) is nice enough. In fact, from time to time some fairly interesting folks even come in and grace her chair- so I guess it's really not as bad as I make it out to be........... Still, all in all, there are about a million other things I think I'd rather be doing. I have to tell you though- I do think I am a pretty easy customer- Truth is when I sit down in that chair I only have two requests-

Cut it Short

and

(Now this one is tough)

Make me look good.

Come to think of it- the poor lady must hate to see me coming! Even the "cut it short" part provides it's own challenges- Do you remember the May 15 edition of this very blog concerning a large mole that looks alot like a tick? At any rate, yesterday morning the time had come- yes it was hair cut day. As I sat there while Cathy skillfully worked her way around my rather large head she eventually came to the area with the mole. Guys- I'll tell you- I am not exaggerating here when I use the word area- I swear that thing has spent the last 20 years or so slowly creeping and spreading so that now I believe a good portion of the left side of my head has been overrun and conquered-

Maybe it really is a tick!

Well in the midst of all that snip, snip and "would you hold still please" Cathy suddenly hesitated a moment, fumbled a little with the hair around the mole-tick creature and said to me, "Charles, you need to get this thing looked at-

"You know it's always better to be safe than sorry"

Such an innocent comment, yet something about those words cut me- I don't know why really, but it was as if God Himself had shot an arrow of conviction straight into my fearful heart.

How much of my life has been centered around the spirit of those words-

A spirit of fear- The Enemy's messages of Be Careful- You might get hurt-

You know you shouldn't really try that- What if ........................

How many times have I sacrificed opportunities to live life so that I could play it safe? After all - I wouldn't want to risk the embarassment of failure. Isn't it better to be safe than sorry?

Luke 12:32 Jesus said," Do not be afraid little flock, for your Father in Heaven has been pleased to give you the Kingdom."

Do not be afraid-Let not your heart be troubled-Be strong and courageous- Do not be terrified- For the Lord your God is with you- He is in you- He will never leave of forsake you-

Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit of the Living God- Rise up in me for Faith and Love and Courage to Live like a man who You have blessed with a Kingdom. Strengthen me for boldness and gentleness all at once. Infuse my heart with Your Great Heart so that I may say with Paul, "I have been crucified with Christ; It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me." and so to Live in the Power of Your Life in me. Amen