The day my idol (hair extensions) was toppled

My hair story . . . . where do I start? Sadly, I have to confess that beginning of 2008 was the first time I wore my own hair as an adult woman. And when I say my own hair I mean relaxed but sans extensions. For me that was a major breakthrough considering that I had a lot of self esteem issues tied to wearing my own hair. It was a deep rooted issue that I needed to be delivered from. Through earnest prayer and many conversations with God the steps towards a deliverance began to take shape and soon became a reality.

The deliverance came full circle the day I mastered how to look at myself through God’s eyes and in realizing that I did not need hair extensions to feel or look beautiful. It became glaringly clear to me that I was a jewel in his crown irrespective of what my hair looked like, or what others thought about it. Incidentally, during that period I began to pray for God to remove any idols that were present in my life. Unbeknownst to me my hair happened to be one of them and God was about to do something “special”. Well, what then ensued was a huge blessing and somewhat of a quandary to say the least. One Sunday afternoon during the 12 o’clock service at BT my twin brother (bless his heart) who happened to be sitting next to me accidentally yanked the pony tail I was wearing off my head. Oh my gosh! I was totally mortified. What was one to do?

Pray for a chariot of fire to supernaturally appear and sweep me into the heavens like Elijah maybe? That seemed to be the most plausible idea. To add insult to injury, I was sitting in the third row from the front with the choir right in front of me and the band to my left, so making a seamless escape was not an easy feat. Defeated and unwilling to embarrass myself any further, I decided to stay put, throw the ponytail on my friends lap (much to her horror) and keep a straight face like nothing had happened. What a humbling and sobering moment it was. God had decided to topple my idol in front of the Brooklyn Tabernacle congregation. My first reaction was to be cross with God, because I felt slighted and could not reconcile why He had decided to do it in church, knowing fully well I would have to face these people every Sunday.

Couldn’t He have chosen a different venue to unleash His rebuke? To correct me? Well that question remains unanswered. All I can attest to is the incredible feeling of freedom and being liberated that followed. It was unprecedented and outweighed the embarrassment and humiliation I had been dealt that day. I am also blessed to have a great brother and such amazing friends who downplayed the whole incident and chalked it down to the working of the holy spirit in my life. I must say their words of comfort and assurance helped a great deal to succor the blow I had received.

Fast forward months later, I am happy to report that I have not worn any kind of hair extensions since. Not because I abhor hair extensions, but because I don’t feel the need to wear them anymore. It feels incredible to be free from bondage and hair captivity. God works in mysterious ways 🙂

The next hurdle for me to conquer is wearing my hair natural. I cannot tell you how much I admire women who do it and who do so proudly and with confidence. I welcome the day when all women can just wear their hair the way they please without feeling the need or pressure to conform to a certain standard or ideal. That was Tafadzwa not so long ago and it is not a good place to be. I am not going to be a hair Nazi and criticize or police women who wear hair extensions. That said, let your hair loose, wear extensions, wear your hair natural, to put it plain and simple rock whatever hairstyle you choose. Whatever you decide to do, I implore you to do it because that’s the style that tickles your fancy and not because you feel inadequate or pressured to fit into a mold that society (in other words someone who can’t even answer your prayers) dictates. God fearfully and wonderfully made all types and textures of hair and that includes yours. Let us gladly and boldly parade them all and ACT LIKE WE ARE FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE. ~Tafadzwa~

This is my hair story now please join me on this platform to just talk . . . . about our hair!! Share YOUR hair story.

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