Hey Everyone,
I know this question will probably only apply to a small group of people (and perhaps mostly or all women regarding hair and nails,) but I thought it would be an interesting discussion nonetheless.
Depending on how fast your hair grows (and how long your neck is,) I've read that by the time your hair reaches your shoulders, you've accumulated about 2 year's worth of growth.
We all know that hair can be significant in the Bible. I think just about every Christian knows the story of Samson, who was specially set apart for God as a Nazirite, and the dire consequences he went through for turning from God, revealing his secret, and having his enemies cut his hair. (Interestingly, I've read that Samuel the prophet and even John the Baptist were Nazirites as well, but no one seems to mention this.)
I also know that in some church denominations and cultures, women are never to cut their hair.
But in one instance that I can remember (Deuteronomy 21:11-13,) the Bible says that if the men went into battle against their enemies and saw a beautiful woman they wanted as a wife, they could take her home, and she was to put off the "raiment" (clothing) of her captivity, trim her nails, shave her head, mourn her parents for a month, then go and be the man's wife.
I always understood this to be an outward expression of casting off the past (whether one wants to or not) and symbolizing whatever new beginning God had ahead.
I experienced this first hand when I went through my unwanted divorce. I've worn my hair long ever since my Mom finally let me grow it out as a kid (up until then, I had a short Beatle's cut,) but for some reason, I was starting to feel uneasy with it, and I didn't know why. If people sometimes feel "uncomfortable in their own skin," I was starting to feel "uncomfortable in my own hair."
And, so, unable to stand the spiritual restlessness I had any longer, I went and had it all chopped off. I felt like I had cut off a big part of the sorrow, regret, and longing I'd felt the past few years and part of my soul felt free (little did I know the adventures in single life that were waiting ahead.) I had also left school to take on a full-time job, and I believe God told me to cast off my old clothing from that time as well. I was scared, as I'd collected a few nice "business" outfits over the years for meetings, practicums, working for graduate students, etc., and there was no way I could afford to replace those things all at once.
But one day, I finally got rid of everything except the very basics and things I needed for my new job -- khakis and company polos -- and eventually found that God got me through just fine.
Over the years, I've gone through this several times. I'd grow my hair out a few years, then chop it off, feeling as if God was saying He wanted a fresh start for whatever He had for me. Just last month, I felt moved to cut off around 5 inches (about a year's worth of growth for me,) as well as cut off my nails (which used to be my most-complimented feature in the past, but anytime they get to a certain point now, I often feel God tells me to cut them off.) Now I am more curious than ever to see what He has on the horizon. And I also have it on my heart to possibly cut off another 4 or 5 inches off my hair early next year.
Does anyone else experience this?
* Are there any other actions/rituals/things you go through that feel like a spiritual cleansing or "starting over"?
* What kinds of things do you do when you feel like God is transitioning you from one spiritual season to another?
* Is there anything you throw out, replace, or start over with because you feel God is telling you, "Out with the old, because I'm about to do something new!"?
* What have the results been when you've done this?
It doesn't have to be anything about hair or nails -- this is just one way in which I believe God signifies various shifts in my life -- and I am interested in reading about how He does the same in YOUR life as well.
I know this question will probably only apply to a small group of people (and perhaps mostly or all women regarding hair and nails,) but I thought it would be an interesting discussion nonetheless.
Depending on how fast your hair grows (and how long your neck is,) I've read that by the time your hair reaches your shoulders, you've accumulated about 2 year's worth of growth.
We all know that hair can be significant in the Bible. I think just about every Christian knows the story of Samson, who was specially set apart for God as a Nazirite, and the dire consequences he went through for turning from God, revealing his secret, and having his enemies cut his hair. (Interestingly, I've read that Samuel the prophet and even John the Baptist were Nazirites as well, but no one seems to mention this.)
I also know that in some church denominations and cultures, women are never to cut their hair.
But in one instance that I can remember (Deuteronomy 21:11-13,) the Bible says that if the men went into battle against their enemies and saw a beautiful woman they wanted as a wife, they could take her home, and she was to put off the "raiment" (clothing) of her captivity, trim her nails, shave her head, mourn her parents for a month, then go and be the man's wife.
I always understood this to be an outward expression of casting off the past (whether one wants to or not) and symbolizing whatever new beginning God had ahead.
I experienced this first hand when I went through my unwanted divorce. I've worn my hair long ever since my Mom finally let me grow it out as a kid (up until then, I had a short Beatle's cut,) but for some reason, I was starting to feel uneasy with it, and I didn't know why. If people sometimes feel "uncomfortable in their own skin," I was starting to feel "uncomfortable in my own hair."
And, so, unable to stand the spiritual restlessness I had any longer, I went and had it all chopped off. I felt like I had cut off a big part of the sorrow, regret, and longing I'd felt the past few years and part of my soul felt free (little did I know the adventures in single life that were waiting ahead.) I had also left school to take on a full-time job, and I believe God told me to cast off my old clothing from that time as well. I was scared, as I'd collected a few nice "business" outfits over the years for meetings, practicums, working for graduate students, etc., and there was no way I could afford to replace those things all at once.
But one day, I finally got rid of everything except the very basics and things I needed for my new job -- khakis and company polos -- and eventually found that God got me through just fine.
Over the years, I've gone through this several times. I'd grow my hair out a few years, then chop it off, feeling as if God was saying He wanted a fresh start for whatever He had for me. Just last month, I felt moved to cut off around 5 inches (about a year's worth of growth for me,) as well as cut off my nails (which used to be my most-complimented feature in the past, but anytime they get to a certain point now, I often feel God tells me to cut them off.) Now I am more curious than ever to see what He has on the horizon. And I also have it on my heart to possibly cut off another 4 or 5 inches off my hair early next year.
Does anyone else experience this?
* Are there any other actions/rituals/things you go through that feel like a spiritual cleansing or "starting over"?
* What kinds of things do you do when you feel like God is transitioning you from one spiritual season to another?
* Is there anything you throw out, replace, or start over with because you feel God is telling you, "Out with the old, because I'm about to do something new!"?
* What have the results been when you've done this?
It doesn't have to be anything about hair or nails -- this is just one way in which I believe God signifies various shifts in my life -- and I am interested in reading about how He does the same in YOUR life as well.
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