Pink Hair and Perceptions

I agreed to have my hair colored pink if Jean met her fund raising goal of over $2,000 for the Koman 3-Days for the Cure 60 mile walk for breast cancer research. She did. And, as I write this, I have pink hair. So, I’m thinking about how different it has been for me to be out and about around town this past week with pink hair. Well, it’s been interesting.

Of course, those of you who me and know why I have pink hair are in on the gag and know that I’m just being a good sport. And people who know me but don’t yet know the story typically make some friendly comment like, ‘nice hair’, and enjoy hearing the story.

But the reaction from people who don’t know me is what I have found to be most interesting. Many people, especially young people and women, have come up to me and said they really like my hair and want to know why I did it. But I have experienced many more people going out of their way to avoid eye contact or keep their distance while staring and whispering. Not wanting people to get the wrong impression of me (because I have been very self-conscious of my new ‘look’ ), I have approached some to explain my pink hair. Once they hear the story most people think it’s a fun way to be supportive of a good cause. But I was troubled when a person said that she was sorry for what she had been thinking about me, and another who said he thought I was a strange person from the university.

So I began to think about how we can be critical or judgmental of someone whose appearance is different from the socially accepted norm. And I have been thinking about how unfair it is to form an unfavorable opinion of someone based solely on their appearance. I’m still the same guy…it’s just that my hair is pink…and it’s kind of sad that it changes people’s view of who I am before they even give me a chance.

So this experience of having pink hair has provided a lesson about how we see people who look different than we do; how we can be uncomfortable with or critical of someone who dresses in ethnic clothing, speaks a different language, is from a different culture, has a different skin color, looks like they might be gay, or even those whose appearance indicates that they might be homeless, hungry and poor.

Having spent this past week with pink hair, I have seen first-hand that how people look really matters to us, especially if they look different than we do. But God doesn’t care about appearances. God cares about the person, each and every person. Jesus came and died and rose for everyone…even those whose appearance might make us uncomfortable. And God calls us, as followers of Jesus Christ, to care about people, even those who look different than we do…because they too, are members of the family of God.

And that’s why our doors at FLC are open to everyone. That’s why we share God’s love with the poor in partnership with Love INC through our Linen Closet Ministry, and why we will be feeding the hungry and homeless in partnership with the Feed em Soup meal program. Let us always welcome everyone, especially those who look different from us, as Jesus would…with open arms and a servant’s heart.
'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.' Matthew 25:40

Pastor Roy+