Hair

The blizzard winds promised a snug evening indoors until the knock.

It was him.

He seemed to have a mystical way of finding me though he had never was quite able to find the church in time for one of the services.

"Pastor, I need you to give me some hair."

"What?"

"Hair."

"What?!?"

"Hair. I need some hair. My daughter hasn't been to school in a long time and they say if she doesn't come tomorrow they'll send the police. She won't go to school because her hair is all nappy and so I need some braids to weave in."

Somehow he thought that this (nearly) bald guy would be able to help him just because I was the pastor.

I said no.

He told the story again more dramatically.

I said no.

He gave me the lovely option of driving him to the store in the blizzard so that he could pick out the braids I could then buy for him.

I said no.

Now crying, he started the guilt trip with scripture verses about caring for those in need.

He didn't get too far when I tugged on what's left on my head saying, "The Bible also says, 'You cannot give what you do not have.'"

He asked again, this time including the word "Please."

I said, "Good night" and closed the door.

When I take the occasion to look over my prayer journals, I see that some of my knocks on God's door aren't all that different from what happened that stormy night. Situations of cascading emergencies that were making me to pull out my hair caused me to seek strange things that I thought would be the only relief. Sometimes I even included the word "Please."

Unlike the request at my doorstep, though, these petitions were to the One who is wise. When I remember the wisdom of the Hearer of Prayers I can summon the faith to to seek and follow His lead through the raging storm rather than to just stand there waiting on my prescribed solution.

And my experience of how He answers the questions I was too frazzled to know enough to ask affirms that His leading is better than my petition. I know I will never be left on my own out in the cold.

Lord, lead me in Your peace.