Love Through the Lens of Hair

I spend a lot of time thinking about hair. As women, we often hear that a woman's hair is her crowning glory, a phrase with Biblical roots found in 1 Corinthians 11:15 and Proverbs 16:31. Often how a woman feels about her hair will determine how she feels about herself. 

Black women have often been made to feel that their hair is ugly or bad because it doesn't fit the cultural aesthetic of beauty. Along with beauty, there's the issue of manageability; straight hair just seems to require less effort. This is what my mother thought as she tried to manage our hair. 

I am one of three girls, and I remember my mom having the time of her life trying to do our hair. This was a challenge, but she was going to figure it out. My mom initially taught me how to braid or cornrow by demonstrating on her own head. That skill has stayed with me and has saved me. 

In many time-saving efforts and what is the tradition in our culture, we went through weekends where she would press our hair to make it straight. But this was a temporary measure, the thought being that straight hair on three heads would be easier to manage. What usually took all day could be undone by rain or sweat! Then my mom graduated to chemical relaxers with minimal success. My mom tried all sorts of chemicals on our hair to make it easier to style, but all we ended up with was damaged hair. 

However, those braiding skills that she initially showed me saved my hair and my self-esteem. Once I was old enough to do my own hair, I would braid my hair in intricate styles during the summer and leave it alone. While I wore my hair braided, I told myself I was beautiful and carried myself that way. My hair eventually became healthy again. I pressed my hair for a while, then, as an adult, figured out that it was best to have a hairdresser relax my hair and finally went natural. Hair was always a big deal. 

I'm now the mom of three girls (the irony). We have our stories to tell dealing with different hair textures, but today they are all natural, and one has always been that way. They all love the natural beauty of their hair.

Hair is always on my mind, so often when I read the story of the lady who anointed Jesus' feet with her hair (Luke 7:36-50), I think of hair like mine - textured, kinky and coiled. However, what is usually portrayed is a lady with long flowing hair flowing in the direction of Jesus' feet. And I always have a disconnect.

We all read the Bible through our familiar lenses, and then as we read, our perspectives are changed. I don't know the texture of this lady's hair, but I imagine it could have been like mine. And what that would mean is that she was even more intentional in bowing to Jesus. Because hair like mine would not flow, it had to be positioned. She would have to kneel and place her head on his feet. It would be an act of the heart extending to her hair. 

This imagery makes sense to me because Jesus uses her act of love to tell a parable of much love and much forgiveness (Luke 7:39-43). In Luke's version of this story, this woman is noted as a sinner. We're all sinners, but to be named as a sinner implied something negative about her lifestyle. Jesus, recognizing her need, forgave her. She, recognizing that she was in the presence of the One who forgives totally, humbled herself. It was all worth it - the bowing, the anointing, the positioning of her hair on His feet for Jesus said, "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace (Luke 7:50)."

I just wanted you to imagine this story of much love and forgiveness through the lens of textured hair without missing the bigger picture of her heart and Jesus' love. I think that's the beautiful thing about reading the Bible; hopefully, we can all see ourselves in it and then be open to what God can do in our lives.

And a woman in the town who was a sinner found out that Jesus was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house. She brought an alabaster jar of perfume and stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to wash his feet with her tears. She wiped his feet with her hair, kissing them and anointing them with the perfume. Luke 7:37,38

Dear Lord, may we all see ourselves as sinners saved by grace because of your great love for us. May your love humble us in an unnatural way so that we are willing to give everything for you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

How do you see yourself in the Bible?

--Nylse

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