Man-he-cures

Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

2 Corinthians 5:17

Getting a manicure is one of life’s luxuries. I tell my husband it is physical therapy because it makes me feel particularly feminine for a week or more.

When I see that first chipped nail, it makes my heart sink. I learned recently that nail polish may not adhere as well if the nail is not cleaned first. Many times I have removed old color and rushed to apply a new coat before heading out the door. Little did I realize I was setting up my manicure to fail. Even when I’m in a hurry, I’d be wise to invest a little more time to do it right. The long-lasting results are worth the effort.

Sometimes I try to polish over my “small sins,” thinking that a little debris in my heart won’t matter. Surely one sassy response isn’t so bad, right? And I really needed to speed to get to church on time. No biggie, right?

But that rationalizing approach to things we do wrong doesn’t create an effective environment for God’s character to “stick” in our hearts. He longs to create clean hearts in us so that we can sparkle in a world that needs His vibrancy, His complete makeover. When He cleans us up, He does a thorough job so that His grace and love can stick to us and shine to bless others!

Sometimes our humanness causes chips in our finish, but God still sees His children as clean, with an eternal topcoat that reflects His glory.

I am glad that our salvation doesn’t need redos. But when we sin or get other chips in our faith, He commits to helping maintain us and repair those places. He is our daily Protector for our man-He-cured heart!

Add some sparkle to your day. Talk to God as you apply a favorite color to your fingers or toes. Then pull out your Bible (careful, the color is still wet) and read while your nails are drying . . . physical and spiritual therapy!