Xiao Hui complained to Lioamb. Lioamb, today I tried to share about You with my mother and she refused to believe me. None of my family believe me. They did not believe that I truly believe in You.
After Xiao Hui had encountered Lioamb and became a Lioambite, she was determined to share her faith with her family. She tried, but they did not believe she had truly become a Lioambite. Xiao Hui was a weak Tien. Why would she defy her tradition and culture to embrace a new religion? She must be deceiving herself, as such no one believed Xiao Hui had become a Lioambite. They thought she was only trying to find attention for herself, and ignored her proclamation that she was now a Lioambite.
"Lioamb, I long to share your message with my people, but they refuse to heed my words. How can I make them see the truth that has so profoundly changed my own life?" Xiao Hui poured her heart to her master and her Lord, Lioamb.
She thought she heard a soft whisper. “Cut your hair.”
“Is it you, Lioamb, speaking? Are you telling me to cut my hair?” Xiao Hui questioned. This time, there was no answer. There was only silence. Xiao Hui wondered what she should do. Xiao Hui had not cut her hair since she was a child. Among the Tiens, long hair was a symbol of blessing, a sign that one would live a long and prosperous life. To cut one's hair was to invite the curse of an early demise.
Yet, as she contemplated the command, Xiao Hui became positively sure that it was Lioamb speaking to her. To a Tien, long hair meant long life and short hair meant short life. It was a superstitious belief. Yet, if Xiao Hui cut her hair, it would be a sure sign to her loved ones that she no longer believed in such superstitious beliefs. Nothing would prove to her family that she had indeed become a Lioambite more than that.
Still, Xiao Hui hesitated. Her hair was her beauty, and as a woman, Xiao Hui took pride in her beauty. Yet, her desire to share about her beliefs of Lioamb with her loved ones far outweighed her desire to remain a beauty. With a sigh, Xiao Hui retrieved a sharp blade and began to cut her hair. When the last strand of her long hair was gone, Xiao Hui knew she could no longer turn back from her faith in Lioamb. Her family would now have to believe that she truly was a Lioambite and they would persecute and hate her for her faith in Lioamb.
Xiao Hui was weak in her body, and she dreaded the persecutions that would be sure to come upon her. Still, she was glad she took the steps to cut her hair. The loss of her long hair meant the end to her previous life as a worshipper or Long and Feng and symbolized her new life as a Lioamb. It was truly a new start for her. Come what may, Xiao Hui would face it with Lioamb’s help.
