The Eternal and the Everyday

As I write this on Good Friday, I remember once again the eternal gift Jesus gave to us on the cross. Praise God the story doesn't end with Friday and the cross. We have the empty tomb to rejoice over on Easter Sunday morning.

It is indeed well with my soul. My eternity is set, and God is in control. There is a however niggling at me in my everyday life these days. That is real life, isn't it?  Like a mosquito, buzzing around my ears. 

Those of you who have read this blog since February will remember that I spent some time hooked up to eeg electrodes for monitoring.  It turned out that I'm not even having seizures, or they are too small to pick up from outside electrodes--great news!  Here's the however:  every one of the twenty-something spots that had an electrode and the glue to hold it in place is now either bald or going bald. The bald  spots are circles, ranging in size from quarters to half-dollars.  

My story certainly isn't as drastic it would be for chemotherapy hair loss, but it helps me have compassion for the brave ladies who endure baldness on top of the other side effects of chemo. If I give my hair a tug, it comes out in a few loose hairs at a time. When I wash it, the water is filled with the hairs that are still falling out.  I use a skimmer to clear them before draining the tub, so we don't get a hairball in the pipes.  

When I finally admitted to myself that this would be going on for months, I went online and bought a wig. It looked pretty good, but then I wondered if people could tell.  Hey, I'm still a normal female! Feedback so far: Two gals wanted to know where I'd gotten my hair cut--that felt good.  Another friend said, "Oh, you got a wig!"  Oops.  

What makes this tricky is that I'm in the process of looking for a job. I have to compete for the few jobs available with "normal" people who have regular hair, of course. I don't want recruiters to rule me out as  fragile or damaged, and I especially don't want to explain about a wig.

As time is going by, though, I'm now making a sort of peace with whatever happens.  If people can tell, so be it. Much of my hair is gone. I am wearing a wig many days, and some people will notice.  It is what it is.  My desire to control my appearance will have to go away--at least for now.  God will provide for our needs as he always has. This is one more way to trust him.

My male readers may wonder what the big deal is. I have one thing to say: comb-over. If that particular  indignity has not happened to you, guys, you've fought some other battle with the relentless force of your body working against you. It might be a belt that is too snug, tired blood, or creaky joints refusing to cooperate any more.  If you're really lucky, it might be all of the above!

We all have our battles, some more serious than others.  Our Lord died for our real lives.  I'll go to church on Easter Sunday, wearing my wig and rejoicing that my Lord and Savior died for the big and the small issues of my real life. I can rejoice that even though I have a brain tumor, the only problem it's causing me at the moment is baldness. It could be a lot worse. Praise God! 

I am a child of the Most High God. Jesus laid his life down so you and I could spend eternity with him. We can all rejoice in the midst of the big battles and the small ones, and not be afraid to take him all our burdens. Praise his Name!

In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.

Ephesians 1:7

And he himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by his wounds you were healed.

1 Peter 2:24