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The Cowboy Pastor’s Wife: Making the cut

It was something I had done for years. Cutting my boys’ hair. I did it mainly because we needed to save money. It was my way of contributing to our budget. Cowboy life is not about money- we all know that.

When they were little, it took every ounce of will power for them to sit still. I tried my best to get it all straight! Lord knows they just wanted to get down and play…….they had stuff to do! “Mama, why do I need a hair cut anyways?! I’d do my best barber shop routine to keep them entertained for a little while, but not quite long enough to do a “professional job.”

“Mama, are you done yet?” I’d finally hope for the best and set them loose only to see strays I had missed. I tried to keep the scissors nearby by for quick snips to even things out! I don’t know how good it looked, I just remember being thankful they wore hats! Hats do a lot more than protect little boys from the sun!



But as they got older I actually treasured this time with them. It would be a time they’d talk…and ask questions. Questions about girls and things their friends were doing. They’d share unbridled dreams, you know the ones they wouldn’t dare share with their friends, only moms have access to such things. I was their captive audience and they were mine. I got to share all my mom advice and laugh and dream along them, all while being their in-home barber! “I want to own my own ranch someday, and have a pretty good string of horses!” or “Mom, I’d like to ask her out on a date….do you think she’ll say yes?”

I would slow down, tell them I just needed to “recheck” for strays just to freeze the moment.



And once again I’d get the infamous question… “Mom…are you done yet?”

“Almost,” I would say.

How quickly it passed- these times one on one. From squirrely boys, to adolescents in awkward stages, to men making decisions about life, and all while cutting their hair. I’d like to think this is how a barber feels, his particular set of clients who he shares life with. Might be a pretty good career choice…it might even be similar to a mom. But whatever the case it was a little way to slow down enough, to have some extremely important time with my boys.

Then I wonder…does God feel like this? Does He desire to have time with us? To hear about our day, to ask question or pray for our friends. To share with Him our dreams…and to wait to hear back what He thinks. When I’ve been rushing through life I have let my prayer life struggle. I have said a quick “Hi God!…We can talk later,” “Do I really need this anyways?” We’ve all murmured those quick prayers for friends….and there’s nothing wrong with that but It’s not “haircutting” time. It’s not a time when I’m sitting and waiting. But I want it to be. I want to share all I have with Him because He’s the one who gives me the desires of my heart. He’s the one who fills me like nobody can. I don’t even want to ask Him…. “Lord, are you done yet?”

I hope not. I want for Him to work on me and get all the strays out of my life. I want Him to cut away the unnecessary so I can get up from time with Him looking better than when I came in.

It may sound silly…relating cutting my boys hair to time with God. I just use what I have and I am thankful that God uses things like this, to get His message through to me. So what about you? Can you remember something you’ve done with your children that brought you closer? Maybe it was working in the round pen, to teach them how to rope. Maybe it’s conversations on the way to school. Whatever it might be, remember the most important conversations in your life.

Always love hearing from you thecowboypastorswife