I had no more than finished my last post and decided to hop in the shower when the Spirit said, in no uncertain terms, “Not so fast, young man.”

While I was trimming the beard and shaving, I started singing a song my Pappeye used to sing: “Shave and a haircut… two bits.”

That’s fifty cents, for all you young whippersnappers. Even when I was a kid that was way cheaper than a real haircut, let alone a shave and a haircut. But it taught me what a “bit” was, and I always loved learning from Pappeye, so that was a win.

In college those “bits” disappeared fast. I always seemed to have more month than money. Long beards and man-buns might be stylish now, but in the ’80s they mostly meant “no job for you” unless you had very specific skills… which I did not.

I also didn’t have hair-cutting skills. What I did have was a TV. One day a guy came on selling this thing called a Flowbee. For $39 (about the price of three haircuts at the time) my problem was solved. After college, when I could finally afford proper haircuts, I tried a few… then went right back to my beloved Flowbee. I’ve had three of them now.

So why am I rambling about this?

Because my haircuts have basically been free for years. And that got me thinking about my Savior.

There’s no way I could ever do enough, or pay enough, to earn the right to stand in front of Him. But that price was paid… in full… by Him… for me.

Which brings me back to those “bits” Pappeye taught me about. Before we had cents in America, they would take a gold dollar and break it into eight bits — the smallest it could safely be broken. Two bits was a shave and a haircut.

A broken piece… that paid the price.

Just a thought from a guy who will never look at a haircut the same way again.

Bible Verses

Romans 3:9-27 / Romans 5

Questions

How much do you pay for a haircut???