I am not used to a house full of girls, but it’s fun! My son is out of town for about a week, so I came to stay with Alica and the girls, to help out with transportation and other things.

Michael and Alica have a foster child, who we will call Olivia. Olivia is a full-of-life four-year old, and that’s an understatement! Olivia asks the question, “Why?” about twenty-five times a day on a slow day. Yesterday, Olivia was sick so she stayed with me all day, and asked “why” more times than I can count.

All the girls in Alica’s house have very long hair, flowing way down the back. My hair is shoulder length. Olivia asked me several times yesterday, “Why your hair short?” I kept telling her that my hair is not short, but she kept insisting that my hair is short. To me, shoulder length is long. To Olivia, it’s not long unless it flows down one’s back. I will never convince her that my hair is long. We could have argued over and over about the length of hair, and in the scheme of life it doesn’t matter.

Too often in “church” world, we argue and bicker over things that don’t matter. It’s easy to feel that’s it is our gift and call in life to convince everyone to believe just as we do. Some things are simply not set in concrete.

The definition of long hair and short hair don’t matter, but let me state emphatically that there are many non-negotiables in the Word of God. The most important one is that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and the Savior of the World.  According to scripture, He is the only way to the Father. “Barbara, who do you think you are saying that Jesus is the only way?”  I didn’t say it. I am just repeating what Jesus said in John 14:6.

We are in an hour when it’s popular to embrace every religion as a pathway to God for eternal life. The most important question facing the Church today is the same that Jesus asked the disciples in Mark 8:29, “But what about you?” he asked.  “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”  Lots of people were identifying Jesus different ways, but Peter answered correctly!

I don’t really care about “long hair” issues. I want to know, if you identify as a follower of Jesus Christ, how you answer the question, “Who do you say I am?”   Unless that is answered correctly, the rest doesn’t even matter.

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” – Acts 4:12