Shampoo bubbles filled Gloria’s beautiful black hair, as Tracy gently worked them through the hair and down to the scalp. This was Gloria’s third visit to the Heavenly House of Hair. She always had her hair done on Friday afternoons so she would look her very best of for the weekends, but she had just started going to Tracy. The two had met at church recently, shortly after Gloria had become a Christian. They were instantly best friends.
“Girl, I don’t know why you even bother coming here,” Tracy said. “You don’t need a beautician. All I do is wash and dry your hair. It is so perfect that I don’t have to do another thing.”
“I’m not coming here because of my hair,” Gloria answered. “I’m here just to talk to you.”
“Go on now, girl! You’re going to give me a big head talking like that.”
“It’s true!” Gloria insisted. “I have a date tonight, and I need your advice.”
“A date!” Tracy gasped. “You’ve been telling me over and over that you have sworn off men altogether!”
“I know. I know.” Gloria admitted.
“Let’s see, what were your exact words?” Tracy went on. “Oh, I remember now. You said, ‘Men are nothing but a bunch of over-sexed, filthy beasts! And no man is ever again going to enjoy the pleasure of my company, because I am going to become the very first Methodist nun!”
Gloria blushed.
“Did you, or did you not say that?” Tracy demanded.
“Yes, but I’m not sure being a Methodist nun is very practical, especially when I might finally have met Mr. Right.”
“Mr. Right?” Tracy asked. “Did you say you met Mr. Right?”
“I think so,” Gloria answered hesitantly.
“Girl, you’d better be very careful. There’s a thousand Mr. Wrongs for every Mr. Right. And most of them know how to disguise themselves so that they look like Mr. Right. Then they get you alone, and you quickly find out how wrong they really are.”
“Believe me, Tracy, I think I’ve dated every Mr. Wrong within a hundred miles of this place. Remember, I told you that I have a lot of history to overcome. So, the way I figure it, I’m way overdue to finally meet a Mr. Right.”
“Okay, lean back here so I can rinse your hair, and while I’m doing it, you can tell me why you think this guy is different from the rest of the herd.”
Gloria leaned back and began telling Tracy about her very sordid past. She talked on and on about parties and men, alcohol and men, marijuana and men. You name it. If it had anything to do with men, Gloria had experienced it.
An hour after Tracy had finished drying her hair, Gloria finally finished recounting her history with men. Tracy was stunned. She had grown up in the church, and even though she knew there was another world out there, she never realized how much it could take over a person’s life. After hearing Gloria’s story, Tracy knew what the Apostle Paul meant when he wrote about people being slaves to sin.
“Wow,” was about all Tracy could say, as she sat staring in total wonderment at her friend.
“I’m sorry,” Gloria said. “I probably should never have told you all that. I never meant to. But once I got started it was like cleaning house – you can’t stop because you know how much better you will feel when you get done. And I do. I feel much better for having told you all that, but I just hope that you don’t hate me now.”
“Hate you? Girl, why would I hate you?” Tracy answered. “Everybody has a history. Mine may not have been as colorful as yours, but it is just as shameful in the eyes of God.”
“I hope you’re right,” Gloria said as she looked deeply into Tracy’s eyes. “I’ve discovered a long list of things I love about being a Christian, and having you as my best friend is right up there close to the top of that list!”
“And you are right up there close to the top of my list too,” Tracy answered. “But you’re going to start sliding downhill fast, if you don’t tell me about Mr. Right! You’ve told me all about the Wrongs! I want to hear about this guy who is so special!”
“I didn’t say that he is Mr. Right,” Gloria corrected. “I said I think he might be. I’m not sure yet.”
“Girl, if you don’t hurry up and tell me about the guy who might be Mr. Right, I’m going to tie your hair in a knot and dye it bright green!”
“I will. I will! But you have to tell me something first.”
“What?”
“You have to tell me how a Christian woman behaves on a date. I’m new at this, you know. Not dating, but being a Christian.”
“What makes you think I’m an expert?” Tracy asked. “I’ve dated a few Mr. Wrongs too.”
“Yeah, but you’ve been a Christian a lot longer than me. Tell me how to do it right. Pleeeeeeease….”
“Okay, two things. But then I want the goods on this guy you’re going out with tonight!”
“Agreed,” Gloria answered.
“Okay, first – and don’t forget you asked, so I’m not trying to put you down or anything…”
“I asked,” Gloria agreed. “Say what I need to hear.”
“Gloria,” Tracy said firmly, “you’ve got to learn to use the little word spelled, “N-o.”
“You are so right!” Gloria agreed again. “I wish I had said it about ten thousand times in the past!”
“Second,” Tracy went on, “you’ve got to learn to open your eyes, and your ears and your heart. Not to the guy you’re with, but more importantly, to God. Gloria, God wants the very best for you. If you are willing to listen to God, he will guide you on your date. God knows already whether this guy is Mr. Right, or just another in a long list of Mr. Wrongs. Keep the communications open to God, and everything will work out just fine!”
“Thank you, Tracy! I love you. You really are a best friend.”
“Okay! Now tell me about this guy!”
It took another hour for Gloria to describe the potential Mr. Right to her best friend. Both women kept a prayer in their hearts throughout the rest of the evening while Gloria was on her date.
It was three o’clock the next morning when Tracy’s phone woke her from sleep. “Hello,” she said groggily.
“Wrong! He was so wrong, Tracy!” Gloria stated emphatically from the other end of the connection. “You just can’t believe how wrong he was! He was the worst in a long list of Mr. Wrongs!”
“Whoa. Slow down, girl,” Tracy said while still trying to wake up. “Start at the beginning, and tell me what happened.”
“Well,” Gloria began, “the evening started out great. He was such a gentleman, and so good-looking in his suit! He acted just like Mr. Right. But then, as soon as he got me alone, Mr. Wrong started to appear. I kept saying that new word you taught me, ‘No.’ But the word must have been new to him too, because he sure didn’t know what it meant.”
“A lot of men don’t, honey,” Tracy said. “That’s why so many of them are Mr. Wrong.”
“I know,” Gloria said. “I’m not surprised, just disappointed. But you would have been proud of me, Tracy! In fact, I’m proud of me! The ‘No’s’ just kept rolling out of my mouth. For somebody who has never used that word before, I’m surprised at how natural and easy it was to say. It’s like it just came from somewhere deep down inside of me. It felt good, Tracy. Does it always feel good to say, ‘No’?”
“Only when it is the right thing to say,” Tracy answered. “When ‘Yes’ is the right thing to say, it feels even better.”
“So when do I get to say, “Yes’?” Tracy asked.
“Girl, God will tell you that, and usually it involves a wedding ring. He told you tonight didn’t he? Didn’t you know that God wanted you to say, ‘No’?”
“Yes, but I guess I’ve always known that. It’s just that tonight I wanted to agree with God.”
“Gloria, you don’t know how happy it makes me, hearing you say that. It is worth waking up in the middle of the night, just to hear you say that!”
“What do you mean, Tracy?”
“You really don’t know, do you?”
“Know what?” Gloria asked.
“You are no longer a slave to sin. God has changed our heart, girl, and now you are a slave to righteousness.”
“I don’t feel like a slave to anything,” Gloria responded. “In fact, tonight made me feel like a free woman for the first time in my life!”
“That’s right,” Tracy agreed. “But being a slave to righteousness doesn’t mean that you’re forced to do things against your will. It means that God has changed your heart, and now you want to do what is right. And that means not putting up with any more Mr. Wrongs!”
“Well, I won’t be seeing that guy from last night again. That’s for sure,” Gloria said.
“What do you mean?” Tracy asked.
“Well, when I realized that he didn’t know what ‘N-o’ meant, I decided it was up to me to teach him. It’s amazing how fast Mr. Wrong can learn from a well-placed knee and a speed dial to 911.”
“Girl, you didn’t!”
“I sure did,” Gloria responded. “He’s probably still trying to explain himself to the police.”
“Alright! You go, girl!” Tracy shouted.
“That’s one Mr. Wrong who’s going to be off the streets for a few days,” Gloria said proudly.
“And,” Tracy announced to the world, “all you Mr. Wrongs had better watch out! God has added another righteous babe to this world!”
“Tracy, shouldn’t I feel happy about that?” Gloria asked. “Because I feel sad.”
“Why?” Tracy asked.
“I really don’t want to become the first Methodist nun,” Gloria answered. “I’d much rather meet Mr. Right. I just don’t know if any Mr. Rights even exist.”
“Hey, girl,” Tracy said, “we’re not the only ones whose hearts God can change. He can change Mr. Wrong’s heart too.”
“I doubt there is much hope for the guy I was just with,” Gloria stated.
“Nothing is impossible to God,” Tracy corrected.
“Really” Gloria said. “I guess he does understand what “No’ means now. And I have to admit, he looked really cute in handcuffs.”
“Don’t even go there!” Tracy said.
“Okay. I guess I should let you go back to sleep,” Gloria said. “And, Tracy, thanks for being such a good friend.”
“Right back at you, girl,” Tracy responded.
“Good night.”
“Good night, Gloria. And sweet dreams – maybe even dreams about Mr. Right.”
“The man of my dreams,” Gloria added, “God, make him real.”
Questions for Meditation, Discussion or Preaching
Copyright 2020. Robert D. Ingram, 32746 Jourden Rd., Albany, Ohio 45710 (dr.bobingram@gmail.com). Used by permission.
