Beyond the Hairpiece

Andre Agassi was one of my favorite tennis players in the 80s and 90s. He was deeply ashamed of his receding hairline and tried to hide it by wearing a hairpiece. After the 1990 French Open, he made it to his first Grand Slam final. But the night before, disaster struck. While showering, his hairpiece fell apart in his hands.

His brother managed to fix it with about 20 bobby pins. The next day, Agassi prayed not for a win but for his hairpiece to stay on during the match. He was constantly worried that it would fall off and everyone would notice. Even seeing fans with similar hairstyles increased his sense of shame.

Because of his hairpiece fixation, Agassi, who was the favorite, lost the match. His girlfriend suggested he get rid of the hairpiece, but he felt it would leave him exposed. She insisted he'd feel liberated. After thinking about it for days, he agreed to cut it all off.

His first tournament with a bald head was another Grand Slam: the Australian Open. He played incredibly well and reached the final without losing a set. Before the final, he told his girlfriend she was right – losing the hairpiece felt like breaking free from a shackle. He won the final and considered it not just a victory over Pete Sampras but also his first "bald victory."

A psychiatrist named Phil Stutz says that "the shadow" is a part of yourself you're ashamed of and feel you have to hide. Once you confront and accept your shadow, you can grow stronger and more authentic as a person. In Agassi's case, letting go of his hairpiece allowed him to focus on what truly mattered – his tennis skills – and ultimately led him to victory.

When you're ashamed of some things, you start to worry about what others think. You might ask yourself, "Do they like me? Do they love me?" Hiding these things can make you feel even more ashamed. But the good thing is, once you stop hiding, you can relax and find your flow.

That's what happened to tennis player Andre Agassi. After he stopped hiding his insecurities, he won back-to-back grand slams and became the number-one ranked player in the world. Agassi was worried about people talking about his shaved head, but not many people did. Sometimes, we suffer more in our imagination than in reality. (Seneca, On Groundless Fears)

So, what is your ‘hairpiece’? What are you hiding? What's blocking you from moving forward? These could be things you're ashamed of or negative thoughts about yourselves. What are the limiting mindsets and behaviors that stop you from being true to yourself and others? What do you need to let go of?

I remember walking into the cafeteria of the Bible College I went to, free and feeling like a weight had been lifted. Why? Because my girlfriend (now wife) and I had just confessed to the whole school that we were pregnant - in fact, we just wanted to hide. Maybe this is some of what James had in mind when he wrote in James 5:16:

After being vulnerable to our peers - I imagined getting stoned with hymn books - but instead, what seemed like the whole school gathered around us and prayed for us. Healed.

Imagine a hot air balloon with sandbags weighing it down. To go higher, you have to release some of the sandbags. What sandbags are holding you back in your life? The world needs you - all of you.

We need the rivers of living water that will flow out of us all when we free ourselves of the sins that so easily entangle us.

So let it go, let it go (cue Frozen), and find your flow.

credit: Billy Oppenheimer