The Sheer Sweetness of Shorn Locks: Why I Marvel at God's Chosen Weakness
Okay, friends, let’s talk hair. Not the trendy kind, not the ‘good hair day’ kind, but the kind that gets shaved off, the kind that leaves you feeling a little exposed, a little vulnerable. I’ve been thinking a lot about shorn locks lately, specifically how they appear in scripture, and man, it’s been eye-opening. You might be like, “Really? Hair?” But trust me on this one.
See, we’re so used to thinking of strength as muscles and power as loud proclamations, but the Bible has a different take. Think about Samson. We all know the story – super strong dude, loves a lady who’s not good for him, and gets his power sapped when his hair is cut (Judges 16:17). But here’s the thing that really gets me: it wasn’t just about him becoming weak physically. It was a spiritual humbling, a stripping down to his bare self. And even in that stripped-down state, God wasn’t done with him. Samson's weakness, brought on by his shorn locks, became the very place God worked through him. It’s kinda wild, right?
I’ve had my own “shorn locks” moments, not literally with a razor, thankfully, but in moments where I felt completely powerless. Like that time I lost my job a couple of years back. I was devastated, felt completely lost, and frankly, pretty useless. I remember just staring at my reflection, feeling like the person I was had been taken from me. Like I’d been stripped of everything. It was a truly ugly moment. I felt so… vulnerable.
But you know what? It was in that vulnerability, that “shorn locks” moment, that I finally truly relied on God. I wasn't out there hustling and doing, because I felt like I couldn’t. I was forced to slow down, to listen. I ended up volunteering at a local soup kitchen, something I wouldn't have considered before. And through those experiences, I found a whole new direction and calling. I’m pretty sure God was showing me something that had been there all along, but I couldn't see it until I had nothing left to cling to. It's like Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” It wasn't about *me* being strong, it was about letting God be strong *through* me, even in my most depleted state.
It really shifted my perspective. Now, when I’m feeling low or like I don't have the answers, I actually pause and ask myself, "Am I having a 'shorn locks' moment?". Is God perhaps gently nudging me to see things from a different angle? It’s become a sort of trigger, like, “Okay, self, time to listen up and see what God’s trying to teach you." It's like the Bible tells us to, "be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10), we have to learn to be receptive even when it's hard and when we’re feeling exposed.
It makes me think about how we all try to project strength and competence. We all wear our “hair” – whatever that looks like for each of us - so neatly in place. Maybe, just maybe, God is asking us to let some of that go. Maybe there’s sweetness in allowing ourselves to be a little shorn, a little less put together, so that He can do some work in us. He uses the broken things, the weak things, the things that seem useless, to do his greatest works. Like how Jesus chose disciples who, on the surface, were nothing special. It's comforting, honestly, because it takes so much pressure off me to be 'perfect.'
So, what does this look like in daily life? Maybe it’s admitting you don’t know everything, asking for help even when it’s embarrassing, or taking a leap of faith when you feel like you have nothing to fall back on. It's about acknowledging that sometimes our greatest strength comes when we allow ourselves to be weak. It's about trusting that God isn't looking for perfection, He's looking for a humble heart willing to be used. And sometimes, that means experiencing our own “shorn locks” moment.
It’s an ongoing process, learning to trust that even in our vulnerability, even when we feel stripped bare, God is still working. He’s still guiding. He’s still making something beautiful out of the mess, and wow, what a relief that is.
So, friends, when was the last time you felt vulnerable? And how did you see God working through that? What “shorn locks” have you experienced lately? I’d love to hear about it.