Fully Restored

Today I have bought myself yet another shampoo and conditioner that claims to restore my nearly-dead hair.

 

My hair isn't in dreadful condition, but the ends are in a shocking state.  They are split and flyaway and fuzzy.  Today's wind/rain combo left me feeling and looking like Bertha Mason.

 

I'm not sure how much it will help my hair, but I am a sucker for a new product.

 

I am always on the lookout for the next thing that will restore and revitalise my hair, rather than acknowledging that the thing that would help my hair the most would be to stop dyeing it so much or straightening it so regularly.  If I looked after it better, I wouldn't need to spend so much time or money trying to restore it.

 

But rather than fix the real problem, I spend my time and money trying to alleviate the symptoms of the problem.

 

I think in a spiritual way I often chase after different things to 'restore' me too.  Rather than dealing with the 'root' issues (no pun intended), I will chase after things which will make me feel better in the short-term: things that will make me feel confident and secure and happy.

 

Instead, I need to return to God, who promises to fully restore me.

 

I love these Old Testament promises -

 

"The Lord says, “I will give you back what you lost."

 

[Joel 2:25 NLT]

 

and         

 

          "This very day I’m declaring a double bonus—
          everything you lost returned twice-over!"

 

[Zechariah 9:12 MSG]

 

Rather than just dealing with the superficial symptoms of my problems - both hair and spirit-related - I need to go back to their roots and deal with the real causes.  And I need to ask God to come and fully restore me.

 

 

 

Full Repair

Split ends.

I have a love/hate relationship with them.  Of course no one wants split ends, they make your hair feel rough and frizzy and look dull at the ends.  But there is something tremendously satisfying about eradicating them.  Either by finding and trimming or, more severely, by pulling them out from the roots.

As a result of dyeing my hair too often and too much heat styling, I seem to have nothing but split ends.  I have just treated myself to some "Full Repair" Shampoo, Conditioner and Intensive Serum, which I am hoping will transform my dull, dead ends. 

Whilst all of the products will hopefully smooth my hair and improve the look and feel of it, I doubt if it can really fully repair my hair.  What my hair probably needs is a good trim, but I am hoping to postpone the need for a cut as long as possible. 

I am hoping this will be a quick fix for my hair until I can afford a proper cut.

Sometimes we have the same approach to our faith or to the 'broken' things in our lives: rather than taking the plunge and trimming, or "cutting off" the dead things, we look for a quick fix.  We look for something that will smooth things over and improve the look and feel of our lives.

But, in order for us to grow, we need to get rid of the dead things in our lives, not just cover them up or smooth them down.  Jesus said,

"I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn't produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more."

[John 15:1-2 NLT emphasis mine]

The reason for cutting off the dead branches in our lives is not simply to get rid of the things that aren't producing fruit, but in order to ensure more growth.

Sometimes a full repair is only possible with a proper trim.