• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer

Stephen M. Miller

Award-Winning, Bestselling Christian Author

  • Home
  • About
  • Books
  • Blog Features
  • Bible
  • Contact
Painting/photo of Jerusalem Temple-Casual English Bible

How I got a free haircut

Stephen M. Miller
man with Mohawk haircut
NOT MY STYLE. I could have gotten a free haircut by agreeing to a Mohawk. I have any number of family, friends, and enemies who would pay to see that. But the freebie I got this week grew out of a different motive. Photo by Josh Pesavento / flickr.

WITH A COUPON in my pocket for a $9.99 haircut at Great Clips, I looked online to see how long I’d have to wait.

Seven minutes.

Just long enough to get there.

I typed in my name and phone number. That’s all I had to do to check in online. Excellent feature.

When I arrived, there were two stylists at work on the only two customers in the store.

Both stylists were nearly done cutting.

In walked a gent who looked and dressed like a construction worker. Rugged boots. Jeans. He was in his mid 30’s, I’d say.

“Did you check in online?” the brunette stylist asked.

“Yes,” he said, “but my name’s not up there.”

By “up there,” he meant on the computer monitor facing out for customers to see the first names of the customers next in line.

“Did you check in at the right place?”

He pulled out his smart phone.

Dumb mistake.

It showed that he had checked in at another Great Clips down the road.

“Do you want to check in here?” the stylist asked.

“No, I’m running late.”

I spoke up.

“Take my spot.”

He paused. “Nah, I wouldn’t want to do that.”

“I’m relaxed. You go ahead and take it.”

He took it, thanking me.

No skin off my head. The blonde stylist was done with her customer just a couple of minutes later. So I was in the chair faster than I could finish the email message I was reading on my phone.

The stylist asked what I did for a living. Maybe she wanted to know why I was so relaxed.

“I write books about the Bible and Christianity. Not the heavy stuff, but books especially for folks curious about the Bible and Christianity. I used to be a news reporter, so I approach the Bible that way, as a journalist.”

“Oh, that’s cool,” she said.

We talked about that for a bit.

I hadn’t noticed, but the other customer finished his haircut and left.

That’s apparently when his brunette stylist asked my blonde stylist an odd question:

“Are you almost done?”

I thought, “Huh? She’s cutting my hair. Don’t rush her.”

I’m so glad I kept my mouth shut for a change.

Finished, I stood at the checkout counter. One hand held my coupon. The other hand reached for my wallet.

Both stylists stood by the cash register, looking at me.

Brunette, “He paid for your haircut.”

Blonde, “He paid for my tip, too. You’re good to go.”

“Oh my. That was so kind. Thank you. Oh my.”

I was kinda dumbfounded.

As I turned to walk out, it felt like I was moving in slow motion, which seems oddly melodramatic in retrospect. But it was what it was.

I saw two customers sitting in chairs. They had been looking at me. I think one guy was smiling, but I can’t be sure. I was disoriented.

I have no memory of anyone doing this kind of thing for me. Ever. I actually teared up in the car. Over a free haircut, for heaven’s sake.

One act of kindness.

Then two.

Four if you count the stylists who played their roles.

Six if you count the customers watching and perhaps getting ideas of their own.

An old man in Bible times offered this pearl of wisdom to the up and coming young men of his day:

“When you’re kind to others, you help yourself” (Proverbs 11:17).

That wasn’t my intent…to help myself.

But to my surprise, that was my result.

I wish I hadn’t been surprised.

I’d love to live in a world like that, not surprised by kindness.

I wonder if we can make a world like that, or if the best we can hope for is to die trying.

Bible Gateway logo

Visit Stephen M. Miller’s profile on Pinterest.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X

Like this:

Like Loading...
View All Posts - Ordered by Most Recent First
« Previous
Next »

About Stephen M. Miller

STEPHEN M. MILLER is an award winning bestselling Christian author of easy-reading books about the Bible and Christianity and author of the Casual English Bible® paraphrase. His books have sold over two million copies and include The Complete Guide to the Bible and Who’s and Where’s Where in the Bible.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Debbie

    May 2, 2014 at 5:22 am

    That’s a beautiful story.

    Reply
  2. Erin

    May 2, 2014 at 5:52 am

    Thank you for sharing this story! Brightened my day..

    Reply
  3. Debbie Coffman

    May 2, 2014 at 6:20 am

    That happened to me once at Starbucks. Cool feeling. Pay it forward.

    Reply
  4. Barbara

    May 2, 2014 at 7:53 am

    So glad to start my day with this story Steve! I am going to think all day about how to make someone so happy that they feel disoriented and cry! You are a blessing

    Reply
  5. Keith Larkin

    May 2, 2014 at 10:39 pm

    That’s incredibly awesome. I am inspired to try to save up some extra money so I can do a random $15 or $20 act of kindness once a month. Thanks for sharing this with your readers. Who knows how many people will get the same idea!! There ya go. World changed! ( even if just a little bit)

    Reply
  6. Kathy A. LaMaster

    May 3, 2014 at 7:21 pm

    I don’t just like this…I LOVE this!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sidebar

Casual English Bible Website

Featured Book

Complete Guide to the Bible

Complete Guide to the Bible
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Books-A-Million
Buy from Christian Book Distributor
Buy from Google Play

Latest Posts

  • When our faith glitches May 5, 2025
  • Job is the right book for me now April 16, 2025
  • Q for AI: “Do most scholars say Jesus never existed?” April 3, 2025

  • Home
  • About
  • Blog Features
  • Books
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Vimeo
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2025 · Stephen M. Miller · All Rights Reserved

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use. To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
Reject AllAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
%d