In preparation for a wedding back in August 2008, I got what would be my last relaxer.
During that visit to the salon, I felt odd and awkward.
I had been getting relaxers for a looooong time...and usually, it was a painstaking process, because I have thick hair and a sensitive scalp...so that basically meant longer processing and a scabby scalp after it was done.
And, I NEVER really liked my hair bone straight, but my hair was so "unmanageable." (So I thought).
So, anyway, that was the last time I got a relaxer, but I hadn't intended for it to be.
After that relaxer, I decided to wait until the new year to get another relaxer and let my hair grow out a little bit.
So, in December 2008, I was sitting on the sofa in my living room and I was on my laptop looking up hairstyles...
I came across a website that talked about "transitioning" from relaxed to natural.
As I read that article, it because APPARENT to me in a revelatory way that I needed to "go natural."
It was like the Spirit Himself was letting me know that this was not just about what to do with my hair, but this would be a journey towards spiritual transformation.
You see, I was also "in transition." There were some things about to change in my life that I didn't even know about...a spiritual transformation would take place at the same time as this natural/physical transformation.
God knew I would need the strength and the perseverance to endure what was to come...
So what better way to increase strength and perseverance than to put a WOMAN (who struggled with low self-esteem, self-image issues, etc...) through the PROCESS of growing out a relaxer (a comfort zone, a safe place for my self-esteem) and thrust me into wearing my hair in its natural state (a condition where confidence and strength would be needed)?
So, many people will ask, why didn't you just cut it all off?
The answer was part of the purpose.
The purpose of it all was to help me see who I was and who I was to become.
The transition from relaxed to natural involves patience, observation, maintenance, creativity, and endurance.
I would've skipped the PURPOSE of the process just to get to the end result.
That is NEVER what God intends for us.
Sometimes, He desires that we make DRASTIC changes in our lives, however, even then, there is PURPOSE.
But, sometimes, God wants us to go THROUGH the process so that we may see His glory on the other side and appreciate the path that got us there.
This is the beginning of new growth...
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