Chin hairs. These not so lovely little tuffs can keep showing up on even the most beautiful woman’s face, despite repeated efforts to eradicate them. How about nose hairs? There’s nothing quite like looking in the mirror and seeing a tiny filament (or two!) peeking out from the tip of one’s nostril. As a former hair dresser, I always found removing a client’s ear hairs quite the challenge. I lost count how many times I buzzed small tufts from clients’ ears while cutting their hair.
yet no matter what, it grows back
The battle against errant hair is a familiar one, a human one. It is common practice to daily examine oneself for these unwelcome imperfections of the human body. We may ask our friends to look closely and tell us if there is something we aren’t able to see. There are special tools to remove each type of the offending imperfections. Yet no matter the diligence applied to pluck, trim, and shave; hair grows back.
clean from the inside out
What else quickly grows back? What about sin? It also keeps showing up. Like errant hair, it can appear in different ways for different people. The battle against sin is a familiar one; a human one. We have all kinds of tips and tricks for presenting ourselves in socially acceptable ways, trimming the visibility of our sin, yet our hearts remain turned away from God. Matthew 23:25-26 says, Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, so that the outside may become clean as well. Thankfully, we have God’s solution available. Jesus’ shed blood and resurrection has the power to remove our sin and make us clean from the inside out.
the key: daily examination
Until we get to Heaven, we remain in the battle against sin. Our challenge is to daily examine our hearts with the same intention and attentiveness used for chin, nose, and ear hairs. We must be willing to look closely and examine what may not be immediately obvious. Invite close trusted friends to provide input. Even more important, daily ask God to examine your heart. Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:23-24) When we do these things, we can trust God to wash us with his blood. Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. (Psalm 51:7) The removal process may be uncomfortable but it’s definitely worth it!
Now please excuse me while I go find my tweezers…