Pretty Nails

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord…Romans 6:23.

Let’s be honest…don’t you love getting a pedicure/manicure?

This is a rare treat that I only allow myself to indulge in occasionally, but when I do…I thoroughly enjoy it!

It’s even more special when I get to share this time with my sweet daughter!

A few weeks ago my daughter called to see if I would like to meet her for a Pedi/mani…and my immediate response was…”Absolutely”!

After arriving at the salon, it didn’t take us long to settle into our chairs as our foot baths were filling with warm water.  We quickly began to play with our remotes…pressing each button until we found the perfect massage motion and touch!

We quickly settled in to visit as the pedicure specialists allowed our feet to soak in the warm bath water, which was soon followed by a foot scrubbing with a pumice stone! 

Our nails were clipped and shaped…our feet and calves were massaged and moisturized…and our toes were painted bright pink and purple!

I have to confess…my feet are ticklish…so, I would squirm a little in my chair when my toes felt tickled…but the end results were well worth a few moments of tickling!

Getting a pedicure was amazing, but what was even better…was the time I was able to spend chatting with my daughter!  Our conversation jumped from one topic to the next!!

We talked about her three precious little boys…her upcoming trip to Nashville…the care of the boys while she was away…my work…we chatted about family and friends…and we both shared our hearts as we discussed what we could do to help a dear friend of the family who was recently diagnosed with cancer and starting chemotherapy.

It was a wonderful just to sit and visit…and to share this rare time of uninterrupted conversation with my daughter!

After our pedicures, we went to have our manicures done next! 

We were not seated next to each other during our manicures, so I let my mind wander as the manicurist began to file and shape my nails!

I had chosen a light pink nail polish, so was excited to see how it would like on my nails!  I was also having a Shellac manicure…hoping that the manicure would last a little longer than a regular manicure!

I watched as the manicure specialist applied several coats of polish and shellac…allowing my fingers to dry under a UV lamp after each coat!

However, you might remember that I had bruised my pinky finger during a superhero battle with Hudson and Beau!

Unfortunately, the light pink polish was not completely covering the bruised coloring! 

My manicurist apologized, but I told her it was fine (that bruised finger reminded of my sweet play time with Hudson and Beau…and I knew there was a chance that the bruise would not be hidden under the light-colored polish that I had chosen)!

However, as I looked at that dark, small discoloration that was not completely hidden under the pretty pink polish, I thought of other things in my life that may appear small and insignificant…but could also leave an unsightly mark.

When I first bruised my finger, there was only a slight discolored area, but after a few months, the bruised area had grown as my fingernail had grown out the past several weeks.

Isn’t sin like that sometimes?  

It often starts out small…unnoticeable…and if left unchecked…can grow and spread quickly in a short period of time.

And though we may try to cover or hide the sin, it is still there…just as the dark bruise was still under the pretty pink polish!

God’s word says…For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord…Romans 6:23.

Scripture also us tells us…If we confess our sins, he (God) is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness…1 John 1:9.

We are all sinners!  We mess up each day!

But we serve a loving God who desires for us to come to Him just as we are!

We don’t have to be perfect…we don’t have to have it all together before we come to Him!

God desires for us to come to Him just as we are…

Hurt…

Broken…

Hopeless…

Lost…

Sinners….

And when we come to Him…seeking His forgiveness…God forgives our sins!

It may take awhile for my dark fingernail to look normal, but when we ask God to forgive our sins…it’s immediately.

Our sins are forgiven…forgotten…leaving our hearts as white as snow!

Dear Heavenly Father…thank you for loving us unconditionally.  I am so thankful that we can come to you just as we are and when we confess our sins…you forgive us!  Helps us to tell others of your saving grace!!