It’s true that I don’t pay attention to many things in life. I guess I’m just too busy to notice everything.
The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage, wife Martha, always asks me why I’m not paying attention. To keep engaged in that argument, I say, “I’m too poor to pay attention. Could I borrow 25 cents from you?”
Believe me, I’ve tried to pay attention throughout life, but it’s been very difficult for me. I’m too poor to pay attention, and as I get older, I get poorer.
All of this became crystal clear the other day when I walked into the bathroom to shave, brush my teeth and comb my hair. When I was combing my hair, I noticed there wasn’t much hair to comb. The less hair I have, the longer it takes me to comb my hair. I wish I could explain that.
It then dawned on me that I was going bald. I then remembered my uncle who was very bald and explained it by saying, “Grass doesn’t grow on a busy street.”
Last week, I let Martha know I was going to the barber to get a haircut as I walked to the door.
She replied by saying, “Have you decided which hair you’re going to get cut this week?”
As I closed the door, I heard her laughing. I, however, wasn’t amused.
When I came back from the barber shop, she greeted me and said, “Did the barber cut the right hair?” And then she laughed again as though it was something funny.
What provokes me is, why does the hair on my face continue to grow while the hair on the top of my head has retired? Why can’t I turn it around? Then I wouldn’t have to shave every day.
I’ve tried a lot of things to cover up that bald spot on the top. No matter what I did, nothing fixed that problem.
The good thing about being bald is I only see it when looking in the mirror. The only ones who see it are those I meet with during the day.
The more I keep Martha off the top of my head and the missing hair, the happier I’m going to be. Believe me, she can fix anything and I was afraid she’d fix me, but I wouldn’t be happy with the fix.
I wished having less hair on the top of my head would mean I wouldn’t have to comb it as much. Regardless of the hair on the top of my head or the lack thereof, combing my hair is quite a job in the morning.
In my devotional reading I offered a verse from Galatians that seemed related: “ For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.”
— Galatians 1: 10
Thinking on this verse reminded me that sometimes I’m more concerned about what people think about my looks. Rather, I should be more concerned about what God thinks of me.
Am I living a life that pleases Him? When that’s my daily focus, it doesn’t matter about my hair or lack thereof.
Dr. Snyder is a former pastor who lives with the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage, wife Martha, in Ocala, Fla. His email is [email protected].
