Alopecia Took My Hair, But God Had A Plan
I have come to realize that understanding God’s reasoning for allowing struggles or difficulties in our lives can take a long time. As I continue to express my story and true feelings of losing my hair to alopecia when I was in third grade in 2008, I continue to learn more about myself. More importantly, I continue to learn more about God and His character.
I have been a Christian since I was in second grade. I placed my faith in Jesus in 2006. When I did, I did not realize that in less than two years after surrendering my life to Jesus, He would begin to shape me and my story to where I am today. When I lost my hair after my ninth birthday in 2008, I could not begin to fathom why God would allow my appearance to be changed. I had a glaring difference to myself. It did not take long to spot me in my class photos.
I also did not understand why God would allow my childhood to be different from others. Why did I have to go to doctors’ offices after school? Why did I have to hide my appearance from others? I hated my look, and I hated what was happening to me. But nothing changed. I still did not have hair.
My hair did not grow back and I did not understand why. But, now I do. It took me over fifteen years to realize that God has a purpose in pain. It took me years to realize that sometimes we need to be weakened so when we are delivered from the pain, we know that it was not ourselves that got us through but God and His goodness. Hard times and challenging seasons can drive us away from God, or can drive us towards faith and trust in Him.
Isaiah reminds us that God’s plans will occur (Isaiah 46:10-11). Joseph saw the good God brought out of years of not understanding God’s plans (Genesis 50:20). Can you see God working in your pain?
I have found that alopecia took my hair, but God had a plan. There is comfort in knowing that our pain can be used as a platform to point others to Jesus. How? By reminding ourselves that without God, we have nothing. We are worthy because Jesus gave us worth. Jesus gave His life for us.
I am grateful that God has given me a platform to show that, while our physical appearance may change or we may not understand where God is during our trials, He is still worthy of praise.
