Bag Lady Nails

You’ve heard the term “bag lady nails,” right? Well, I strongly dislike them, and to be honest, I was growing a set on my very own two hands not that long ago. You see, I knew I had a pre-wedding manicure scheduled in just five, four, three, two, and then, just one day, so I was holding out for the real thing. I was eagerly waiting for that perfect setting where they would get done perfectly by a professional. I could wait for that. (The Type A, subcategory “Unusual,” people are now nodding their heads in keen reticent understanding. Thank you for that.)

In the meantime, my nails kept growing. And I pretended no one would notice. There was one problem. Not only were they driving me crazy, I kept getting into “situations.” You know the “situations” where really the only thing for another human being to look at in a given lo-o-ong, indecent moment, is your nails? Or I could have just held things with my knuckles, pointed out wording on a page with my knuckles, demonstrated musical fingering with my knuckles, etc, and all the while impale my hands with my ever-lengthening nails. That was an option, but I missed it. And my nails kept growing. And I didn’t file them. I wanted it done perfectly.

Holding out for that special event where everything would be just right, started to show in my life. The hands that touched everyone’s life, were definitely looking unkempt and downright yuck. Kind of like my quiet times with the Lord...

I crave those quiet times where you have two hours to study your Bible, pray until there is nothing left, and meditate in the peaceful quietness. Or more like even thirty minutes of uninterrupted absolute silence. So, sometimes I simply pass up the daily “filing of the nails,” knowing I’ll get the “real thing” in just one more day –and it starts to show as I live life alongside others.

If we don’t take even those quick opportunities to spend time alone with the Word and the Lord daily, we are missing out. Our life gets ugly. We start turning into a bag lady. Just ask my sister.