Thursday, April 27, 2017

What to do when you've made a mess of things...


Good grief! You'd think that since I'm knocking on the door of age sixty that I'd have left my toddler tendencies behind at least five and a half decades ago. Yet, last week I gave in to two very toddler-like character traits, and let's just say, it didn't turn out so well.  Impulsivity combined with an attitude of "I'll do it myself" was my undoing.

I've been going to the same hairstylist for years and years.  When we moved from Portland, Oregon to Vancouver, Washington two years ago, I kept going to my hairstylist who works in a salon east of Portland. The half hour drive, (if the traffic cooperates), usually works out fine, since I only need a cut and color every two months. However, for some crazy reason, last week I decided that I could put my appointment off even farther if I just "did it myself" and gave myself a little trim.  How hard could it be?  I watched a YouTube video and it made it look as easy as pie.  A pair of scissors and a few minutes later and I had made an embarrassing mess of my hair. I had bangs and short layers of hair around my face that I didn't used to have and the back of my hair didn't seem to be any shorter.  That YouTube video led me astray! Trimming my own hair wasn't easy and it didn't turn out looking like the lady on the video at all!

Thank God that I only had to live with it two days before my hairstylist was able to squeeze me in for an appointment.  Graciously, she didn't shame me or scold me. She just smiled and went to work, chatting away with me as she worked just like always.  She cut a couple of inches off the back of my hair, trimmed the new bangs and the layers around my face properly and freshened up the color of my hair.  You'd never know that this slightly new and different look wasn't preplanned!

I wish I could say that I've never been foolish and impulsive or acted like a toddler with my "do it myself" attitude in other areas of my life much more important than a superficial thing like my hair.  I wish I could tell you that I've never been influenced or led astray from sound judgement by something or someone.  The truth is, I have.  Yet, like my hairstylist, God doesn't shame me, make fun or me, or reject me when I run to Him with the mess I've made.  He just goes to work cleaning me up and getting me back on the right path.  And, like my new haircut, I've seen God take the mess I've made and work it out for good when I relinquish the situation to Him.

The moral of this story?  Don't try to cut your own hair.  Don't believe every tutorial you find on YouTube.  Most of all, when you've made a mess of something in your life, run to God for help.  He's a pro at making something beautiful out of messy lives.

still following, 
  


Darling Downs Diaries

USE this for BLOG

Woman to Woman Ministries


Seeking God

Missional Women





Holly Barrett

also linking up at:
Inspire Me Monday

29 comments:

  1. Ha! I have done this more times than I care to recount...good thing God doesn't keep a record of it all! You look beautiful as always Elizabeth!

    ReplyDelete
  2. ha,ha... Have been there and done that.. Definitely not a good outcome..
    Love the new cute.. looks so pretty on you..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Evidently, judging from the comments left here, those of us who have messed up our own hair are in the majority!

      Delete
  3. Oh gosh....love this and I love how you told this story. You look beautiful with your new "do".

    ReplyDelete
  4. At least you didn't decide to give yourself a perm and almost burn your hair so bad it took months of professional deep moisturizing treatments to bring it back to normal again! I did - to save money the way my dear, little mother used to do. Didn't save a dime! In fact, the professional treatments cost a lot more than several perms by my hairdresser. I like your new look!
    ~Adrienne~

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Misery loves company, my friend! Yes, I'm thankful that is wasn't a perm!

      Delete
  5. Haha! Hi Gerth neighbor! I have so done this. I live two hours from my hair stylist and I attempted bangs because...why not? Dang it! i can't even handle bangs lol!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi! Happy to "meet" you! I can't even handle bangs either!

      Delete
  6. Well its good to give new things a try occasionally. Love the moral of your story though being a regular mess maker myself. Found your post at Tell His Story Im a little ways away at Number 61. The name of your blog made me click on your link. Glad I did.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh yes. The shame of the do-it-yourself hair fix. Been there! I'm so glad we serve a God who doesn't embarrass us, no matter how much we deserve it with our toddler-tendencies. :)
    Dropping by from Inspire Me Monday!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Great look for you - howEVER it came to be :)
    (And the application to other areas of life is SO apt.) ♥

    ReplyDelete
  9. Elizabeth, I love this! Reminded me of the time we thought cutting our toddler son's hair at home was a good idea...NOT! Aren't we thankful God seems to love teaching us powerful lessons in the middle of life's crazy? Blessings from your neighbor at Anita's.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So happy to "meet" you! God graciously teaches me lots of lessons from the simple and ordinary things in life, even my mistakes and failures!

      Delete
  10. Great lesson, Elizabeth! I have to laugh, though, because I cut my own hair all the time, and my husbands! :) Have a blessed weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are obviously much better at self haircuts than I am!

      Delete
  11. Love it!! And I love when "mistakes" turn out to be beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm sure thankful that it did turn out! It looked scary at first! Ha!

      Delete
  12. You still look beautiful, and I love how that reminds you of God's grace! I appreciate His gentleness with me so much.
    Have a blessed weekend!
    Leslie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He is very gracious to me! God bless you and your sweet family, Leslie!

      Delete
  13. I use to wish I had the courage to cut my own hair. I do hear it's not as easy as it looks. You are beautiful no matter what.

    ReplyDelete
  14. This was a fun post -- and love that it came up as I was researching "foolishness!"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
  15. Leave it to me to make it onto Google under the word foolishness! So funny!

    ReplyDelete

The best thing about blogging is hearing from you!
I'd love for you to leave a comment! Click subscribe by email if you want me to be able to reply to you.