Now, I’ve never put too much thought behind arm hair. I know that there are varying standards, but it's certainly never something I have noticed about people. Although I'd say, it's obvious that there is a range from hairless cat to werewolf. Now that I’m in Africa, however, I have lovingly discovered from the local 3-5 year olds that I must be close to a werewolf. For these children, arm hair is strictly a muzungu, a ‘white’ person, attribute; therefore, it is something to thoroughly investigate as a sign of goodwill and friendship. So as with most curious children, this process involves poking, picking, pulling, and plucking….. Surprisingly, these things have begun to bring me joy because they bring us closer, providing opportunities for us to learn each other's language and culture, but mostly because of how strange I am to them.
In many ways, it reminds me of how I (we) should continually approach the Lord with a child's curiosity regardless of where in the world we are. Being bold enough to sit with the Lord to poke, pick, pull, and pluck at His arm hair as He is so often foreign to us. I can only imagine the joy to experience from Him in my attempts to draw nearer to Him and all He would be willing to share if we would get close enough to play with His arm hair.