Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

2 Corinthians 12: 9b

It was my first haircut in at least 2 months. I was shaggy.

I sat in the chair at Great Clips and let the woman do her magic with those scissors. When she was done, she uttered these words to me:

“I left it a little long in the back to cover up your bald spot. It’s hardly noticeable now.”

Uh, WHAT? I played it cool. Paid for the haircut, and made my way out to the car, feeling around to the back of my head. Sure enough, there in the back was a smooth spot. A bald spot. How long had it been there? And why was a total stranger bringing this to my attention?

Maybe nobody else has noticed. That’s entirely possible–I do have a lot of hair on my head. So much so that I never dreamed I’d have to deal with the dreaded b.s. (Bald Spot, silly!) Neither of my parents have any hair loss, so I just figured I was good to go in that department.

Now…I feel a little exposed. I keep reaching around and feeling that little tiny spot in back, and wondering how much it will grow. Here it is, yet another reminder that I’m growing older, that I can’t ignore the passage of time any longer. I have to face the facts. Age is catching up with me…and others are noticing.

I don’t like it! I mean, I’ve never been the picture of youth and health and beauty, but I always liked the idea of climbing my way into adulthood. Now, let’s face it, I have crested the hill. I take a handful of pills morning and evening. I’ve had a couple major surgeries. My feet have this stingy thing called neuropathy. I’m getting older.

I know, I know, I’ve got a lot of good years ahead of me. I know that. I’m not totally freaking out or anything. It’s just entered my awareness a bit more than I was ready for. What’s worse is that people around me may be seeing signs of my over-the-hilliness that I’m not even aware of. It’s as plain as the patch on the back of my head!

Oh, who am I kidding? Half of my male friends are partially or fully bald. It ain’t no big thing. It’s just something I wasn’t ready to go…public with. A public sign of weakness. It’s like having bad breath and nobody telling you!

Actually, we don’t know what the weakness is that Paul is writing about in the passage above. There are lots of conjectures. Someone even theorized that he had chronic body odor! These kinds of public weaknesses are a struggle to face. Maybe you’ve got acne, or varicose veins. Maybe you’ve got crows feet, or walk with a limp. It can be a daily challenge to put on a brave face, all the while knowing some of your weaknesses are front and center for all to see.

My new weakness isn’t front and center, it’s back and center, but the same thing applies. For now, I can keep it mostly obscured with my long dark hair–or maybe I’ll just do what Paul did and boast about it:

YES, WORLD, I HAVE A BALD SPOT! I’M PERFECTLY OKAY WITH THAT, BECAUSE I HAVE THE POWER OF CHRIST IN ME AND THAT NEVER FADES!

I may have lost some hair…

but I have (ro)gained so much more.

Have a great week,

Mitch