The Tangle in My Hair

In Honor of Mother’s Day

The Tangle in My Hair

When I was a little girl my hair was very long. While this was great for pictures and Sunday morning styles, for a rough and sweaty tomboy it came at a cost. This is probably why my favorite style was a set of braids like Laura Ingalls. 

I can remember many evenings sitting on the floor wincing as my mama brushed my hair and worked to comb free the twisted and knotted hairs that had worked their way into a matted up, tangled ball.

As I grew older I learned how to get the tangles out of my hair myself.  Some of them were tougher than others. And a few of them were cured by Mom’s sewing scissors. (Sorry, Mom!)

As an adult I still end up with tangles from time to time. And those tangles always seem to be in the same place. Just out of sight in the mirror. Where my head is the most tender. Where I am forced to be patient and gentle and long-suffering.

1,617. This is the number that I saw today when I opened my Bible app, a number that represents the time that has passed since I made a commitment. A commitment to be more intentional with my prayers and Bible study. One thousand, six hundred and seventeen days of specific prayers and conversations with God about motherhood and about my children. 1,617 days of ups and downs, good and bad, agreeing and disagreeing, submission and rebellion, confidence and fear, clarity and silence. Many of these days I have experienced joy and peace. Some days have been marked with tears. And a few of them have included cuts that now require new growth.

Today I am reminded that just as the tangles in my hair require patient and gentle work, so does my heart and mind as a mother. While I am tempted to be impatient and frustrated when I feel that God is not working on things as quickly as I want, I remember that his time is not my time. His ways are not my ways. And He is working things out for my good.

…With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you,... -2 Peter 3:8-9

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. -Romans 8:28

I am so thankful to be a mother.

I am so thankful for my own mother and her prayers for me. 

And greater still, I am thankful to God for his promises, his gentleness, and his patience to work out and remove all the tangles in my life and the lives of my children.