Everyone’s heard about the hair of the dog, but during the World Series we were treated to seeing the hair of the Dodgers. More commentary appears to have been generated about the long red hair on Dodgers’ third baseman Justin Turner’s chinny chin chin and head than about the finer points of our national past time. Why the fixation on hair?
Well, in the first place, everyone has some. Therefore, it is isn’t surprising that people want to compare and contrast hairstyles. Some may even want to get up close and (too) personal in order to do so. One reporter allegedly asked if she could touch the ginger growth hanging off Turner’s face. All that hair certainly hasn’t affected his thinking ability as the ball player quipped back that she could do so for $10. Is his salary from the Dodgers so pitiful that Turner has to resort to selling touches of his facial hair? Give that man a raise!
Secondly, a bushy beard and wild-flowing hair just don’t seem to mesh with the discipline required of a professional athlete, particularly a baseball player whose sport is more of a controlled, thinking man’s game. Former Cincinnati Reds’ owner Marge Schott was a firm believer in clean-shaven players and had a famous no facial hair policy for her team players regardless of the color of their hair.
A player’s grooming habits take front and center sadly because our society is superficial. We judge a book by its cover and are quick to notice if that cover contains long strands of hair. Whether you think a bushy beard is the best or is beastly, the observation starts and ends with the outward appearance.
Guess who else notices all that hair? Why, our Heavenly Father. Not only does He notice our hair, but, according to the Bible, He is aware of the number of hairs on our head. Matthew 10:30; Luke 12:7. And that number, as scientific studies reveal, is less for redheads than for other hair colors.
But while God notices the color and length of our hair and is able to have a head count (pun intended) of all those hairs, those things are not what is important to Him. Just as Dodgers’ fans are bottom line more concerned about Justin Turner’s batting and fielding abilities than the length of his hair, God is more concerned about who we really are–not what we look like. He looks at our heart and not our hair. I Sam. 16:7. I’m assuming that this is the tactic Justin Turner’s fiancee takes. She looks at her beloved’s inner worth and not at his outer excessive facial hair.
Since it is No Shave November, maybe now is a good time to steer away from the superficial. Let’s focus on the good cause spurring the hairy chinned individual’s avoidance of shaving and not whether the stubble is appealing or appalling. Look at the heart and not the hair!
WONDER-ing WOMAN -- Alice H. Murray 