“Clip your dead ends for growth, and I’m not just talking about hair.” (Source)
I saw it. I was inspired. I reposted. I thought I understood.
I had no idea.
I listened avidly as Paula, founder the Love of People, spoke on the danger of not trimming dead ends. She explained that dead ends not only cause your hair to look damaged and thin, but they can also get to the point where they can reek havoc on your healthy hair. She went on to elaborate that dead ends cause your hair to shed and eventually eat away at the beautiful tresses BEHIND them. In other words, you can neither see the beauty nor health of your new growth if you do not let your dead ends go.
And if that does not speak to someone, somewhere, then I do not know what will, and I thought I understood. The underlying implications were so in my face, that I thought I had noted, digested, and mastered the point…That was until I actually had to clip my dead ends…
No one ever talks about the transition. We only speak of adjusting when we speak of major hair cuts…not of trimmed ends. No one told me that after trimming your ends, you may have a hard time accepting the girl in the mirror.
I look the same but completely different, and my beauty is not immediately apparent especially to myself. I wonder if perhaps I should have waited just a bit longer, held on to those ends just a little longer. I wonder if it is worth taking a chance on damaging health to hold on to what I feel is the beauty of dead ends.
No one tells me that my self-esteem may take a dip. No one tells me that I may like the before better than the after. They only tell me the benefits, not some of the possible side-effects. I receive no disclaimers only testimonies as to the wonderful advantages of treatment…
No one understands that my dead ends are more than just hair…
What about when my dead ends involve a little boy? … or a best friend? … or a family member? … What happens when holding on is easier than letting go? What happens when those dead ends do not speak to my pride but they speak instead to my heart? What do I do then?
What do I do when I have dolled myself up and I have taken the day off, and I still find myself recovering from the loss of dead ends…because life has a way of looking me dead in the eyes with its realities.
***
My sister said, “Ask God to reveal to you the places in your heart that have not healed. He will.” (Source)
I do not remember asking for healing. I have no recollection of ever asking for healing in places not completely obvious. Yet, here we are, living a life specifically and intentionally crafted for healing and growth…
I do recall asking for balance. I remember telling Him I was overwhelmed. I can hear myself saying that it was all too much, that I had nothing left.
So He responded…gave me less to balance…less to overwhelm…took away the “too” in much. He clipped away at my dead ends, and I watched them fall to the ground in absolute horror.
Now I am forced to let those dead ends go.
People always tell me about how light I will feel with the weight of dead ends off my shoulders. They never tell me I will cry, and I will scream at God. They do not tell me that I will demand answers and justifications for His actions…that I will feel like I am facing Goliath, but I AM NO DAVID.
I am just Brittany … an ordinary girl … sitting … watching as God sweeps up and throws away my dead ends…
… so that I can see what is BEHIND them. There is healing there. There is growth there. There is beauty there.
There is David.
There is extraordinary.
***
What types of things do you do to help you get rid of loose ends?
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ordinarilyextraordinarymom 
Try my best to stop picking them back up and gluing them back onto the other strands. But trying to give each day to the Lord while I am continuing to heal and grow during the process.
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LOLOLOL. That’s me. Trying my hardest not to piece together strands.
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ooooh this speaks to me! I felt God tell me to let go of a dream I had held for years. I yearned for it, but it never was working out. So, when God said let it go, I cut it out of my heart. Yeah I cried, and it was a disappointment, but it also was freeing. I feel a burden off my shoulders! Now when I get an email or blog post that makes me think about the dream again, I say “no”, that is not something I need, and I delete it. It still hurts a little, but it gets easier.
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It does get easier. It’s just shocking at first. I have to really process because sometimes God gives me no advanced warning. It’s just all of a sudden time to move on. But He gives us all the tools we need to make the move.
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God is so good!
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The Bible talks so much about seasons, and transitions and pruning. So much about pruning. It can start with outward activities but then move onto dreams and attitudes. So that we bear much fruit. I thought I was bearing much fruit as a Youth Pastor, but I was so busy that I had stopped growing personally until we moved and God took everything away except my family and Bible. It didn’t look like we were doing anything, it looked like a lot of stuff had died, but it cleared way for some new buds for a spiritual spring. I wrote about Understanding Our Spiritual Seasons and transitions on my blog, probably this time last year.
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