Can You Be Confident God Knows What You Need?

I call them “Woogies.” It’s those lost hairs that I try to collect out of the shower drain so my hubby doesn’t holler at me. I wad them up into a ball and perch them on the little shelf on my shower as a visual reminder that I’m a good wife that cares about her husband’s aversion to cleaning out the plugged drains. I’m waiting for the day he sees them on the floor of my daughters’ room… she has long, naturally curly hair so they randomly fall away, and then as she walks about on her floor they gather into a Woogie ball. What can I say, it’s a grossly hilarious part of having long-haired women living in your house? Those lost hairs are everywhere!

Like the Hairs on Our Heads, God Knows Us

Hang with me here; there’s a lesson for us in those little woogies… I believe that God reveals His character and teaches us in many ways, but we particularly learn best through His creation—things that we see, physically touch, and know that can really help wrap our brains around an unseen God to know Him better. Jesus taught in parables; He used familiar, everyday items and stories: sparrows, coins, seeds, sheep, and, yes, even hair to reveal deeper spiritual meanings to those He was trying to impact. Which is why I am so passionate about the “Hair Parables” that I write! Think about it: hair is mentioned many times in the Bible, my favorite being when Jesus talked about it in Matthew 10:30: “Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”

In cosmetology school, I was taught that we lose an average of 100-150 hairs a day. You see those fallen hairs on your shirt, in your brush, and in the shower drain, but mostly you are unaware when a random hair falls away from your head. The language and tone Jesus used in this verse is present tense, meaning that at any given moment, God is fully aware: He knows how many hairs you have on your head. This little verse is tucked right in between Jesus teaching about the sparrows which, for those in the crowd, they would consider sparrows to be the lowest valued bird. “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do no fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:29-31).

Sister, sit there and think on His words for a bit. I don’t know about you, but my goodness, if He has that much intimate and intentional knowledge of my hair, then imagine how much more personal attention He has in the everyday things that happen in my life! If He knows the hairs, He knows the details! And knowing that has brought such incredible peace and security to my soul. He is a God that sees all and cares for all!

One afternoon a client came busting through my door, interrupting another appointment; she wasn’t scheduled to be there, but it didn’t take me long to figure out that she hadn’t come for hair, she had come for help. She had gotten herself into a sticky situation and said some things to someone that, in hindsight, as it replayed over and over in her head, really upset her and she just needed to talk about it. Bless her little Woogie heart, she was a ball of anxiety and worry as she sat there wringing her hands and telling us the story. I let her vent as I finished getting the color on my client’s hair, and then I sat down with her to talk some more and gave her a little advice. I prayed with her, and she left.

The next day I got a text from her, letting me know how grateful she was for me taking the time to listen and pray with her. She also asked me to send her a picture of this little wooden plaque that had a verse on it. She couldn’t remember exactly what it said, but she did remember the peace that it brought. I knew immediately which one she was talking about as it is one of my faves as well: “When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the Rock that is higher than I” (Psalm 61:2).

God Knows and God Cares

Later on, we were able to talk in person again and I pointed out to her the big picture of what God did for her that day. It wasn’t a coincidence that she showed up at the same time her family member had an appointment which meant that she felt safe and comfortable to just plop down and vent. Trust me, this woman would not have opened up like that if she felt uncomfortable or as if she was interrupting someone else. It wasn’t a coincidence that I had some time while the color was processing to visit and pray with her. And it definitely wasn’t a coincidence that the verse caught her eye and calmed her heart before she left. God knew. He knew exactly what she needed, when she needed it, and He orchestrated it all in such a way to help little ol’ her and big her big ol’ mess.

Imagine how much personal attention He has in the everyday things that happen in your life!

Girl, I pray that today you would find your grit in trusting that God is good at being God, and you are not. Nothing comes or goes from your life that He doesn’t know about or that He isn’t willing to offer strength and help to get you through! Also, search for grace in the moments when the urge to control gets the best of you! As women, we tend to micro-manage our situations and our people, but if that comes from a place of you feeling like you are the only one holding your life together, then I promise that you truly will fall apart. Sister, no soul is made for that kind of responsibility and power—that’s God’s vocation and position. There is grace and deep peace in finding your position at His feet, trusting that if He is keeping track of all the hairs on my head, then He is also keeping track of all the details of my life!

Gratefully His little Woogie,
Jodi