My first real life experience with a Texas lady happened when I was 6 and my uncle married the daughter of one.  My aunt is a California girl, soft blonde and athletic tan, but her mom has never really left Texas.  She is immaculate with gorgeous pastel colored suits, matching shoes, coordinated jewelry, and hair teased to perfection.  She is elegant and proper with a side of sassy, a dash of fun, and just the sweetest hint of an accent.  Her look has evolved over time, she’s always current and polished.  I have never seen her less than fully done up and ready to take on the world.

For years this mighty woman served as the wedding coordinator of her church, overseeing elegant events with hospitality and an eye for details.  She takes church seriously, a devoted woman of deep faith.  About 10 years ago her church turned over the worship band to some younger folks.  They were showing up to church to lead worship in flip flops and ripped jeans.  At first her sense of decorum was ruffled.  How can they take God, church, their role seriously when they look like they just rolled out of bed?  But then this wise woman paused.  She remembered that church wasn’t about her or her idea of how things should be.  It wasn’t about what she preferred or her sense of style.  The bottom line is that church is about helping people to have an experience of God.  So she looked around and saw other people, some of whom came to worship in their jeans & flip flops. These folks were clearly moved by the experience of worship. So she got on board with this change.  And she has been touched by the songs and learned something deep and true about God from people who are not quite like her.

This is one of my favorite anecdotes about what it means to be the church.  I tell it often because it captures something important about how wrapped up we can get in our preferences and expectations. It ends with the beauty of what can be possible when we step outside our own worldview and embrace another’s perspective.  It serves as a reminder to me as well, for I’m guilty of a focus on my preferences, rolling my eyes when someone asks me to include more of the “good old hymns” in worship.

We need these stories of change, of letting go, of deep knowing to help us continue to be the kind of people who serve God and not ourselves.  I will always appreciate being told this story and being privileged to know someone who is so willing to lead life by following her big, inclusive, welcoming heart.  I hope to live up to her example some day.

May you be blessed with the clarity to see what really matters in your faith community and may you have an abundance of big hair and big heart in your life.

-Eilidh

A lovely lady-  inside and out