Haircuts

March 30, 2009 at 1:28 pm | Posted in devotional, family | 3 Comments
Tags: haircuts

Tague and I took the boys to the barber shop for a makeover the other day.     Zach went first and, with a fair amount of distraction, he sat there and took it like a man.    Philip started his turn with whimpering and ended it with total wailing.    Our barber was amazingly patient and gentle and now the boys are sporting new looks.

the new look

Since the other day, Philip’s emotional response has had me thinking:     They’ve been with us long enough now for us to see consistent behavioral and emotional patterns emerge.  And one thing we’re certain of is that Philip truly struggles with fear and, more often than not, feels vulnerable.    He is a more cautious child than most three year olds.    He cries very easily and feels threatened in situations where there is no threat.   Unfortunately, having his hair cut was an event that made him feel very afraid.  He perceived a giant threat, but the truth is that Philip was totally safe, sitting in his daddy’s lap.    Still – in his little heart, he didn’t feel safe.   I know I’ve been there many times myself.   Not over a haircut, maybe, but over some other perceived threat.  And in spite of the fact that I’m safely sitting in my Daddy’s lap, I’ve felt just like Philip looks in that picture.

I know it will take time, but I think it will take more than just time to make his insides relax.      He has learned Psalm 53:6 which says, “When I am afraid, I will trust in You”.    And it’s been reinforced with the great Veggie Tales story that says God  ‘bigger than the boogey-man’.

These simple truths are lingering around in the back of his mind and it looks like it’s time to bring them more intentionally to the front when he’s struggling.    I’ll let you know how it goes.