A while back, I had a friend who was the pastor to the mother of Michael W. Smith.  Not only did he score me tickets to a concert – I was also given backstage passes. 

The passes were impressive!  They were embossed with the concert info and a VIP stamp in big letters.  It dangled from an official concert lanyard (neck cord)

My family was excited.  In fact, I even invited my daughter’s boyfriend to go with us.  (What was I thinking?) 

The outdoor concert was spectacular – but we were mostly thinking about our soon-to-come personal and private meeting with Smitty. May I call him Smitty?

He finally delivered his encore song.  The crowd surged toward the exits while we nudged our way forward.  Proudly waving our badges – we breezed passed a burly security guy.

We were ushered into the tent where Michael would be – only – we were not alone.  With us were a couple hundred people who were also marked with backstage passes.  We were squeezed into the very rear of the tent.  

Smith breezed past us on the way to the front – and that was as personal as it got for us.   So, we then turned back, hung our heads in disappointment and found the exit.

Forget being V.I.P.s – we felt like D.I.P.s.   Big Dips!

One of hundreds – that’s who I was that day.  No more important than a sardine in a tin of sardines. 

Can you relate?

Have you ever called about your electric bill, and the computer took you through 10 different layers of options?   After 20 minutes you longed to talk to a real person (even one with a foreign accent)   

Does it ever bother you that your identity has little to do with your face, or your name and everything to do with your social security number?

Does your boss even know your name?  

Oh, and at church they ask, “Is this your first Sunday with us?”   “Uh no, I have worshipped here for 8 years.” 

It makes me wonder at times, “Do we really matter?” 

Well – we do – to God!

Jesus assured His followers that God treasured each one of them.  He said, “In fact, even the hairs on your head are all numbered.”  – Luke 12:7. (NET Bible ®) What an astounding statement.  God cares so much for us and knows us so intimately that He monitors every hair on each of our heads.

No small feat.  The experts say that a person has between 80,000 to 120,000 hairs on their scalp.   My skeptical wife might like to sit me down and count them just to check.  Wouldn’t that be fun?  Probably impossible. 

In terms of hair density, we have between 800-1,290 hairs per square inch.  Some heads are less dense than others of course  

And keep in mind that our hair count is not stable.  The experts say that the average person loses between 50 and 100 hairs each day.  Some follicles are replaced by new hair while others are not.

There’s no possible way I could ever track my own hair count – but God does.  His personal interest in me is astounding.  And yet, He also tracks every follicle of every one of the other 8 billion people that inhabit this planet.  That’s a lotta hair.

But why the ado about one’s do?  This is just God’s way of saying to us – that we matter to Him, every health concern that we have, every problem that we face, every victory that we savor, every hair that we gain or lose.  We matter to God. 

So, when you shower tomorrow – do not despair that the drain is being clogged with your tresses.  It doesn’t matter.  What matters is that you matter to God.

A PRAYER: Lord when I comb my hair each day, I will remember your hair care.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.