How My Faith Comforts Me as I Lose My Hair to Chronic Illness

My hair is falling out and I have to admit, I’m scared. Thinning hair I could handle but falling out? This is just too much.

When my not-so-golden locks became noticeably finer, I embraced that
part of my “healing journey” with a pixie cut. A short hair style I could pull off, but not bald. That’s a hairdo I simply cannot do.

To be fair, I don’t have fully developed bald spots just yet but what I do have is a dramatically receding hairline. My hairline’s retreat occurred so quickly I didn’t even get to say goodbye. One night the thin strands of my bangs packed their bags and fled the scene of of my head. I hoped they were just going on vacation but that was weeks ago and they haven’t returned. In fact, my departed hairline has done just the opposite of reappear. It has enticed more hair follicles to follow.

Like strands of hair to the slaughter, the hair on the tippy-top of my head has fallen right in line with my hairline and frizzled right out. It is as if my hair were being scorched, beginning at the very end of each strand. Without any heat, the strands sizzle and sear until they are so fragile they snap off entirely, leaving behind charred hair debris and a much more exposed scalp.  The severe frizzling and falling out of my hair scares me. It petrifies me. I can’t imagine my head without hair.

The thought of a hairless fate for my head taunts me. I have disturbing visions of a vanishing hairline, patches of exposed skin and a tender, vulnerable scalp. I’ve tried to run and hide from my receding hairline by wearing hats and avoiding the mirror but it has been futile. I have been unable to escape my fear.

While I’ve been looking at the receding hairline on my head with fear and concern, God has been looking at the receding trust in my heart. He knows how truly frightened I am of the future. He sees how scared I am by each scorched strand.

But I need not be fearful of what will become of my hair because God already has it planned. I don’t need to know how many strands I’ll have in the future because God already has them counted. As I’ve looked in the mirror I have tried to face my fear by imagining what I might look like bald but even with my most vivid imagination cap securely fastened I can’t picture it. And the good news is I don’t need to.

God has already plotted out every step of my life’s journey according to His will and graciously lifted from me the burden of knowing the future. Whether my hair continues to retreat or miraculously returns with increased thickness and volume, I can rest assured that God is in control. If my health continues to sizzle or if I gain strength and vitality, I trust and know that God is always in control.

Today, with this head of receding hair, is the day the Lord has made and I will rejoice in it, no matter what lies ahead for my locks. Because I trust and believe in the perfect will of God, I can cast off worry and live free of fear. Today, in this balding moment, I can concentrate solely on the goodness and glory of Christ and leave the future of my hair, my health and my heart in the almighty hands of God.

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Photo via Kwangmoozaa on Getty Images