Hairdresser Hang-up

We are excited to have Allen's parents here for a visit. They arrived from South Africa almost two weeks ago and have been greatly enjoying Kirstie. We've been giving them plenty of opportunities to babysit :)

Before moving to South Africa, Dennis and Linda spent 17 years as missionaries in Belgium. Being in Taiwan and not being able to speak Chinese has helped them recall and recount many stories of their similar situation their first years in Belgium.

It is always encouraging to hear stories about how struggles have been overcome, and Dennis and Linda have an abundance of these.

Just a couple days after their arrival, I awoke from a nap with Kirstie and saw a note on our refrigerator, "Good morning to our 2 lovely girls! We're gone to see about a haircut and getting lotion at the Pharmacy. We love you, Papa and Mama Lin"

Wow! I couldn't wait to hear how their adventure turned out. Sure enough, when they returned they carried with them fruit they had bought from the market, they had acquired the info they needed from the pharmacy, and Linda had a hair cut. All this was accomplished with only a 2 word vocabulary, "Hello" and "Thankyou."

I was both humbled and encouraged. I was humbled because I had been wanting to go to the hairdresser nearby but had not yet summed up the courage to go by myself. I was encouraged because if they can do it only knowing two Chinese words, I can surely do it knowing 2,000.

I suffer from a desire to always be right- I want to be precise, not make any mistakes. This "perfection disease" combined with the fear of ending up with a wacky looking hairdo has caused me to procrastinate, and building a relationship with the hairdresser has been put off for yet another day. I am humbled by God's patience with me. Jesus could return any day and I have not built a gospel-sharing relationship with the hairdresser because I am afraid of making a mistake - a purely prideful reason. God is truly patient. He is patient with the lost (2 Peter 3:9) AND the saved.