Martha Burkholder

February 7, 2022

We got up like we normally do. I made coffee and Ray’s tea. I usually read and study for a while, then lay back down and rest my eyes. This morning, I started thinking about how the Amish stuff is such an idol. My mind just kept on about dress and caps and all the clothes are so much more important than Jesus. After a while, Ray came out of his office and started talking about how he was thinking about all the stuff the Amish idolized, and I just looked at him and said I was thinking the same thing.

He left to eat breakfast with his uncle, and I was going to do my hair. James and MaryAnn were here Saturday night, and Ray told MaryAnn to get me a hair appointment. I wasn’t going to do anything drastic just a malibu treatment and go on as normal. I was still putting my hair up and putting a cap on or a scarf. I always put on my Amish dress when leaving the house. We had no intention of being English until we moved (I guess God had other plans).

After Ray left, I was thinking I didn’t want to go to my hair appointment looking Amish, so I didn’t give it much thought and dressed English to leave but still put on a scarf, but my hair was down in a ponytail. MaryAnn was late, and I was getting nervous. She finally came, and I left. When we were almost there, I took off my scarf. I walked in there and was very nervous but felt very spiritual. The lady was very nice and has helped other Amish women transition. She sat me down and treated my hair, and after she was done, she realized I had naturally curly hair.

She asked me if I wanted curly hair, and I told her I don’t know, but I guess I could try it. The other option would have been to straighten it. I didn’t realize at the time that if I went curly, I couldn’t just put it up and put a cap on. She told me how to put mousse on and scrunch it to hold the curls. I walked out of there with curly hair.

I came home, and Ray was already home, and he couldn’t believe that I was not wearing an Amish dress, and my hair was down and curly. I was always scared about dressing English, so he was shocked. Later, we decided to go to Madison and try out my new look. We got groceries and ate dinner. All of a sudden, he asked if he should get a haircut, and I said go ahead. He went over to the barber shop and got a haircut, and the next evening, he took off his beard.

We are now English and had not made plans to do it. A couple of days later, we were thinking and talking about this and realized that the whole day we were being led around by the Holy Spirit and didn’t even really think about it.

I had been getting convicted of these idols for a while before this happened, but I guess God couldn’t wait any longer, lol. When we got to the end of the driveway to go to Madison, two of our children passed and saw us. That was supposed to happen, I guess.

Galatians 5:25 “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the spirit.”

This letter has been published with permission from the owner.

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