Sharing the Gospel in a Most Humble Way

This past Saturday, I found myself in an embarrassing situation. It started when I decided to get the girls' hair cut.

Pigtails and Crewcuts is a children's salon I spotted several months ago while sitting in the parking lot waiting for my sweetie to return from R.E.I. When the time came for Emily and Lydia to get their hair cut, I was excited to take the girls in to this establishment. Everything about it seemed a perfect way to treat my girlies. Mommy and daughter time. Oh, and Nana time, she was with us. A girl's day out.

So, I call to make an appointment and was told they don't make appointments but if I call on my way in, she'll put our names on the list. Okay, this sounds great. I call when I am ten minutes out and get on the list.

Before coming in, I had shown pictures of other locations to Emily and Lydia and so they are excited too. The idea of getting to sit in your choice of vehicle and watch a movie while you get your hair cut was too cool!

Here we go hand-in-hand off to have some fun at Pigtails and Crewcuts. Even the name puts a smile on my face. That smile soon turned to pursed lips soon after walking through the doors. As we enter, I am met with a forced smile from the receptionist and have a clipboard shoved at me informing me I need to fill this out. So, I do. No thank you when I hand it back and no indication that someone will be with us soon. My biggest disappointment here is that my kids weren't greeted.

There were two stylists, both busy. One was finishing up and the other maybe about half-way through. We sit and wait. And wait. And wait. When the first stylist had finished, I notice she disappears. Hair is still on the floor from her client and there's no sign of her. Anywhere. The receptionist then leaves and I notice her down the hall and out back smoking. Nice. I sure hope she doesn't bring that breath in to my children. Thankfully, she's only the receptionist. Well, moving on.

By this time the second stylist has finished and I have waited over 15 minutes without one person talking to me. Oh, except the friendly clientele. In the meantime, the receptionist has cleaned the first station and does a good job putting things back in place and wiping things down. Then, I get the shocking question, in an I'd-rather-be-somewhere-else-tone, Okay, who's going to be first? Oh, nuh-uh. We did not just sit here for a very long time being ignored to have my girls go one at a time causing an even greater delay in my day. "We are on a time schedule. I was under the impression both of my girls could get their hair done at the same time," I say. "Well, the other stylist is on break," she says. HELLO!! Could she not have told me that when she walked away? Wouldn't it have been nice to say, "Thanks for waiting, she'll be with you in a moment." To say I was irritated is an understatement. I'm big on customer service. My wait time can be tolerated if you just smile and let me know what's going on.

This is when my flesh and all my warm fuzzy expectations that just got squashed take control. The gal on break comes out after hearing me complain to the others that I have waited a long time and I thought the girls could go together. When she comes out, I hear in a rather fake, forced voice, "Oh, look, here she is now." No way am I going to be the cause of this poor woman missing her much needed break. I've worked retail. I understand the need to step away. I do not hesitate to tell them that from the moment I walked in I felt as if we had interrupted a private party and that I was not impressed with their customer service. I waited too long and we were not staying. I take my children and we leave. All the way to the car I'm getting, "Mommy, how come we're not staying?" I reply sharply, "Because those women weren't very nice."

Huh. Who's not being very nice here? All of a sudden I have a wave of convicting thoughts. Look at how you have just behaved, I hear. I must go back in and apologize to those women. My mom says she is going to wait in the car so it's me and my girls. I take a deep breath, ask the Lord for wisdom and enter back into the salon where the three ladies were chatting and I genuinely apologize for my behavior. I should not have gotten so upset and been so rude but most importantly I tell them, "I am a Christian and what I did was not glorifying or honoring to God and that's what my life is about." Silence.

I then ask if they would please cut my daughters' hair? They smiled and said they'd be happy to. Smiles were still forced and I'm not sure they enjoy their jobs but when they finished (both girls got to go together), I thank them and apologized once more. One tells me it's fine, we all have our days. To that I replied, "It's just a reminder to me at how imperfect I really am and how grateful I am to Jesus Christ who took my punishment on the cross." To the receptionist I also apologize and she says it was just a misunderstanding. To her I say again, "I'm reminded at how I mess up and need the work of Jesus Christ."

This is not my ideal way of showing my faith but boy, is it the most honest real way. Yesterday, it was a great day to be in the house of the Lord. The message reminded me that the gospel of Jesus Christ is unstoppable because Jesus is alive and working. The gospel is spread abroad by the working of the Holy Spirit through His people. I don't want the ladies of that salon or you, the reader, to see a woman who had a case of guilty conscience and did a good thing by coming back in. On the contrary. I want them and you to see a hopeless sinner who serves a mighty God. I hope they are curious about this person mentioned, Jesus Christ and ask themselves, what does it mean that He took the punishment. I can only trust in the working of the Holy Spirit to take my fumbling words and open hearts as He so chooses.

I will be back to Pigtails and Crewcuts and hope to always bring in the light of Christ and the Love of God.