I have a haircut scheduled for today at noon. I’m going to a new barber at an old shop because my old barber stopped working there.
My old barber had some personal issues come up that somewhat wrecked his life. He lost a marriage, the rights to see his kids every day and two jobs all in a matter of four weeks, and because of that, he has fallen off the grid. As anyone would be after all of that, he’s in a dark spot. He isn’t communicating with anyone, he’s making rash decisions, and he isn’t at all himself.
I made a decision to stop going my old barber because in all of that turmoil, he became unreliable, and I got frustrated.
In his pain, I was impatient. He couldn’t meet me when I wanted, time after time, so I went somewhere else, and I sit here wondering if that has been the wrong decision. Did I stop giving him a chance to redeem himself? Did I stop seeing all of the good work he had done for me for more than two years? Did I stop seeing his potential to overcome adversity?
People have potential. Even in our darkest times, we rise, work and have the opportunity to turn to light and goodness. And I hope my old barber digs deep and finds that potential, and that I have grace to see that in him and the world around me too.
-Cliff
Cliff’s Note: God sees more in people than people see in people - humanity’s potential.