A Converstaion Getting My Hair Cut

Today I went to get my haircut and I was thinking about ways to bring up Jesus in a conversation. I was going to ask, "Do you know if it supposed to stop raining soon?" and then be able to introduce how I haven't gone out with my cross in the rain (it's cardboard) and I could segway into a conversation.

When I got there, another woman getting her hair cut was talking about a woman she knew who had a miscarriage. She said they were believers and that she believed the baby was in heaven. She was talking a little bit about faith and when I got up to get my haircut, I went over and gave her an Obama Trillion and one to the hair stylist. One of the hair stylists told me a different hair stylist had received a tract a few weeks ago and was showing it to them.

This really convicts me, because I have been slacking on giving out tracts to people I come across in stores and in public. I have no problem handing them out when I am in "evangelist" mode carrying the cross (what else could I be up to?!), but otherwise, as with a photography analogy I like to use, I tend to "hide in the shadows" all other times. I need to remember that people need to hear the message and that any embarrassment I may temporarily have is only my pride getting in the way.

After handing out these two tracts, it took the conversation into a separate different areas. The stylist cutting my hair talked about doubting God's existence. I told her that the Bible says that all of creation speaks to His existence. I gave her the example of the human eye, which has 137 million light sensitive cells- you mean to tell me that happened by "chance?" I also talked about all the other working parts of the eye- the eyeball, the tears, the tear ducts, our eye lids, eye lashes. She pointed out that those were just a small portion of the human body. Exactly! How magnificently designed we are, and how much greater is our Designer!

I also talked about the problem with "gap theory" (according to the gap theory- death and destruction entered the world before the fall) and how the day "yom" in Genesis 1 is the same word uses through the Old Testament.

I also gave the two hair stylists the analogy of the parachute- believing in a parachute won't save you on a crashing plane, you have to put on the parachute, trust the parachute and jump from the plane- in the same sense you have to put on Jesus, trust in Him and abandon your sins. The one hair stylists said this was an excellent analogy to use.

At this point, I broke into the law, making sure to include that lust is adultery in the heart and murder or calling someone a "fool" is murder in the heart (I never knew this until I read the Bible myself and I think so many others don't know this- even if they know the commandments not to commit adultery and murder). I explained the necessity of repentance in addition to faith- even the demons believe the one hair stylist pointed out.

I also used the analogy of people saying that "God is such a loving God, He will forgive me of my sins." Try that in a court of law- judge, I know I murdered this person, but you are such a loving judge, I was hoping you would let me off the hook. A loving judge would acknowledge that because he is a loving judge, that he has to punish the crime. That is where Jesus came into take the punishment for us. Our fine was paid in His life's blood.

I did end up mentioning my cross, and the one stylist said she had seen me with it and wanted to come up and talk to me. I encouraged her to do so, because it is nice to get the encouragement, especially after getting heckled.

She said she thought of me as a "modern day prophet." I don't like to think of myself this way. We should all be "modern day prophets"- we have all been given the command of the Great Commission. Given the context of where I live and how it is uncommon to see people with religious signs here, I can understand the label (as a note: I do not take offensive to it. I am proud to be identified as one who loves Jesus and that my actions testify to that fact. As Paul said, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes" [Romans 1:16]). If I were out in California with a lot of others with signs, I most likely wouldn't be viewed the same way. There should be countless others just like me.

We all have ample access to the Word. The information I am telling people isn't something new that hasn't been written down for hundreds of years. It is at our own peril that we choose not to read it. If everyone were following Jesus' commands, we would all be out there sharing our faith and I would be just one of many standing out there with a sign. Now, I'm not saying everyone should take Matthew 16:24 literally ("If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me,") but please remember we are all called to the Great Commission (Mark 16:15).