The Nail Tech Saga
10th June 2022, 18:46, Queensway
I met my nail technician while I was in university and I’ve been going to her for years. I must admit, I can be a very an interesting client. Why? Well, I walk into the salon, show them what I want, and once they start working on my nails, I can’t help but interrupt them. I tell them what I like, what I don’t like, and how I want it to be perfect.
On a particular day, I started expressing my dissatisfaction to the technician even before he finished. He tried to hide his irritation but responded politely by saying, “I’m not finished yet.” As he continued buffing and filing, my mind was filled with various thoughts like “I’ve just wasted my money,” “this looks terrible,” “he’s not doing it perfectly,” and so on.
Never judge a thing before God is finished. At the end, it will be beautiful. Trust Him!
To make matters worse, I used to have a nail technician who had a gift for doing my nails to perfection. Every time I left her shop, I was always satisfied. Unfortunately, she has now closed her shop, which is why I was trying someone new. Naturally, I couldn’t help but compare the new technician to her, thinking, “He’s not as good as X,” or “She would never do that.”
After a while we reached the scariest part – choosing a nail colour. Reluctantly, I pick a nude shade, thinking, “The nails are going to turn out bad anyway, so I might as well choose something that can salvage this mess.”
The technician maintained a straight face, trying his best to remain professional and cheerful despite his visible irritation with my impatience. Finally, he finished my nails and guess what? I loved it. A big grin appeared on my face, and I felt happy. As he walked away and directed me to the cashier, I couldn’t help but draw parallels between our interaction and my relationship with God.
I am the queen of throwing serious tantrums and having meltdowns when I don’t like something that is still a work in progress. It made me wonder how many times I’ve judged what God was doing and based my happiness on something that was still unfinished. I was looking at an incomplete piece and using it as a measure of what the final outcome could look like. In the end, when God finishes His work, I am usually left amazed and blown away. So why do I judge Him and make false assumptions? Wouldn’t it be better to wait and see the end result? Yes, it would. But easier said than done.
My nails took 2 hours to complete. Some processes in life take years. It’s frustrating to wait without knowing when the end will come. So, if you’re like me, I empathise with you. I understand how you feel. However, this is another opportunity to stretch your faith and trust that God is good.
Let’s accept that the process may not be pretty, but the end result will be beautiful. Will you give it a try? The fact that you’re staying close to Him, even reading this, is a gentle reminder to wait and trust. He says in His Word that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. He is also able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond what you can ask, think, or imagine. So let’s trust Him. The end will be beautiful.
“Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.”
I Corinthians 4:5 NKJV
With love,
Tumi
