Pretty Nails


 

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. 1 Peter 3:4-5

This morning two of my co-workers and I were talking about our nails. Do you do them yourself or have them done? Do you like the white tips or do you like a color? I was odd girl out in both cases. I do my own and I like color. Neither here nor there, it reminded me of a conversation I had with my sister a few months ago at Christmas time. When she called I was putting polish on my nails. She commented that our mom was doing the same thing when she spoke to her. “You, I understand.” She told me. Since my toes live in Florida. “But why is Mom doing it? No one is going to see her toes for months!” A by product of living in Upstate New York.

That brought the above Scripture verse to mind. We worry too much about the outside of our bodies. We worry about our clothes, our hair, our size and our belongings. We worry about those things because they impact the view others have of us when what we should be worrying about is what God sees. I may have the cutest outfit on my perfect body with my up to the minute hairstyle with my shiny pretty toenails perched on the doorstep of my brand new house, but what does Jesus see? Is my heart clean and shiny? Did I just polish it with the truth of Scripture or is it tainted with anger, bitterness, envy or greed?

Like my mom, apparently, I paint my toes even when no one else will see them. I do it because it makes me feel good. If I don't the fact that they are chipped and looking a little dreary will make me feel lazy and careless. But what about when I avoid a family member, friend or co-worker because I just don't feel like listening to them? Or if I tell a lie? Or hurt another person? Do I feel dingy or lazy then? I should.

It is who we are when only Jesus is looking that is the real deal. I am who I truly am when I am alone with God. We are blessed that our Father is always watching us but that means that He sees us all the time. There is no pair of socks, no article of clothing or wall to stand behind that will obscure His view. He sees me when I am at my best and my worst. Good news, He loves me just the same all the time. Bad news, I know when I've let Him down, when my chipped nails are showing, so to speak.

As I wrote this another Scripture came to mind. “Create in me a clean heart O God and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10 That should be far more important to me, the state of my heart and spirit than the state of my nails.

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