The Long and Short of Things

I’m letting my hair grow. After three months, I feel like I’ve been growing my hair for about 14 years. You can see from my profile picture that I typically wear it very short - have for years. Since Princess Diana made her first appearance on a magazine cover I’ve had short hair. Now it almost covers my ears and is approaching what I would describe as the awkward stage, neither here nor there. I check every day to see if it’s closing the gap on “long” but have to admit that it’s now only short-ish.

I’ve been equally frustrated of late with my spiritual growth. I have been as purposeful about growing in Christ as I was in deciding to let my hair grow, but I find the progress similarly slow-going and coming up short. Short on faith, short on love, short on long-suffering. Short on maturity. In times of small daily trials I am sure that I have closed the gap, and I walk away tossing my hair with joy. Then I get home and take a good look in the mirror and realize the truth that while there has been some progress, I’m still short-ish compared to the goal.  

This is usually the point, when I have attempted to grow my hair in the past, where I give up and head to the salon. I just can’t take it another minute. But I am determined and steadfast! Though it takes a million years, I will have chin-length hair! And though my spiritual life is still an untamed, unruly mess, I will stay in the grip of my God who will lead me long-distance to my long-range longing of being a long-standing, long-suffering, long-lived (although long-winded) Saint, because He is not longitudinally challenged! I will have no shortage of success because God is not in short-supply of grace and is not short-handed, short-sighted nor short-lived. Though He will not short-change me, there is no short-cut to victory. And that is the long and short of things.
 

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." (Hebrews 12:1-3)