The Unhygienic Journey: Day 9

I'm sitting here friends running my hands through my clean, wet hair for the first time in 9 days. It feels so good. Dare I say, even a little surreal. I've gotten so used to having my hair pulled up and pinned back that I forgot how I looked with my hair down. Never has a shower felt so refreshing. It's hard to believe that my unhygienic journey has come to an end, but here we are. :) And this is today's update:

My hair feels so light! I'm serious, friends, my hair has never felt so clean than it does now! It really does feel like it has been stripped of all its impurities. And it's blonde again...yay!

My skin feels so smooth. My scalp doesn't itch any more either! :)

I smell like a dozen roses again! :)

My mood is elated! Today was a long and tiring day, but it was nice to be able to wash all of the grime off me at the end of the day instead of going to sleep in it instead.

Thank you to all of who you followed my blog and to the 42 of you who voted that I would be able to see this challenge through to its end. It has been an honor to share my journey with you--I know that I learned a lot, but I hope that maybe you too were able to take away a few things from this experience as well. Here are a few of my concluding thoughts:

We say that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, but do we really believe that? I feel that the last 9 days were a testament to that verse! I remember telling Mike before this challenge began that there was no way I could go that long without taking a shower, but I did!

I didn't do this alone though, friends! God was walking along with me the entire way, reminding me that I am His beautiful, beloved, hand-crafted daughter who was made in His image and is an heir to the very throne of God!

I can go through the day being confident of who God has made me to be even though I'm physically dirty. My identity in Jesus and my appearance are not linked--they are totally and completely separate. My value and worth comes solely from Jesus, not from how many people do a double take when I walk by.

Jesus loves me with a love that I cannot comprehend, and when I shrink His love down to my own definition of what I think love to be, I am settling for an inaccurate picture of what Jesus' death on the cross really means. I need to love like Jesus does by His standards, not my own.

I have the best support system in the world. My friends, family, coworkers, teachers, pastors, classmates and others all were so loving during the past 9 days while I took on this rather absurd challenge. I am blessed to have you in my life. Thank you for loving before, during and after my unhygienic journey. :)

And lastly, I have taken showers for granted my entire life. I won't ever do that again.

"Give thanks to the LORD for He is good; His love endures forever." -Psalm 106:1

Amen and Amen!