A Nail Biter
I don’t know when I started biting my nails. My mother says
it was practically from the beginning. If any nail had a chance to grow a
little white edge, it was soon nibbled off. Any pressure, positive or negative,
would soon have me searching my fingertips for something to chew on.
Fast forward more than 20 years and I did stop biting my
nails (mostly). But another decade or two later I have found that when
something is “Worrying me” I start to nibble again. Of course, I have a little
psychological trick I play. I just nibble an uneven nail, or a broken nail, or
the hang nails that develop on my thumbs. It is so ingrained in me, that I
rarely notice what I am doing.
When my husband asks me what is bothering me, and I quickly
reassure him “Nothing.” I am startled when he then asks, “Why are you chewing
on the sides of your thumbs?” Huh, it’s like I’ve been exposed. Even I can’t deny
that something must be up or I wouldn’t be chewing away on every bit of skin or
uneven nail available to me.
So, when I sat down to write this devotional my husband suggested
I share what I am worried about as he glanced significantly at my red and
tattered thumbs. I knew he was on to
something. I am worried about many things, just like Martha! (see Luke 10:41)
Children, young and grown; finances; my relationship with my husband;
friendships; spirituality, am I growing in the knowledge of His Word? Am I
being faithful to Him? Ha! I just caught myself, “trimming another nail with my
teeth!” This is so real it’s funny!
For
God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing
and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of
calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and
self-control.
2
Timothy 1:7 Amplified
Don’t
fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your
worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a
sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and
settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the
center of your life.
Philippians
4:67 The Message
Dear Lord, thank You for Your patience in
reminding me I can let go and I can trust You. I truly do want to lay down my
fears and accept with confidence Your promises. So be it.
Written by Mary M. Wilkins
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