Lessons at the nail salon.

“Behold I am doing a new thing. Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”

(Isaiah 43:19)

I was at the nail salon one day and while there was nothing special about the occasion, this particular visit seemed to preach to me. An aside, while I love prayer and quiet time, there is something so special about the way God speaks through everyday life. God is genuinely always speaking, and it’s up to us to be tuned into the right channel to hear Him. 

Anyway, I was new to this particular salon and I showed the nail tech a picture of a nail design I had found on the Internet. All morning I had been so excited to see this vision come to pass on my nails. To my dismay, the nail tech immediately told me “I can’t do that. I don’t know how to do that technique.” Almost as suddenly, my mind started racing- I hadn’t come with a Plan B in mind. I was so focused on what I brought with me, that it hadn’t even occurred to me that I wouldn’t get my way. I was faced with a choice: I could either dwell on my disappointment and not get anything, so married to what I had in mind, OR I could be open to something new. 

Long story short, I agreed to choose a new color and sat in amazement as this male nail tech (a true hidden gem) with tattoos and gelled hair filed and shaped my nails with more precision and perfection than I had ever seen. I watched as his passion for details made me forget about my brief disappointment. It was as I complimented him on his work that I heard the Holy Spirit whisper to me. He began to show me the times that I had come into relationships with a tight grip on a picture of how the relationship should look/feel/produce. I had been so married to my vision that I became blinded by judgment, criticism, and discontentment with good men. God was suggesting to me, as He may be suggesting to you now, what if you are missing out on the beauty of what someone CAN do because we are so caught up in the disappointment of what we thought it should be. No, he may not be a pastor, but the way he is able to make people see the magic in themselves is crucial to the kingdom of God. No, she may not cook like your mom, but when you have a vision that seems crazy she is your number one supporter.

This applies to many areas, not just relationships! What if the job opportunity in front of you is actually your answered prayer, but you’re about to pass it up because it looks different than you imagined. My prayer for you and me is that we would submit our eyes for God’s. With His eyes, we will be in a constant state of awe at the hidden treasure lying within the Earth. 

Today we declare, “I love You more than my picture.”