Mercy and Manicures

MERCY - not getting what we deserve

I'm not one to get manicures and pedicures on a regular basis. In fact, I go to the Nail Salon about as often as I wear my hair down in public. For those of you that know me, you know there must be a special occasion coming up if a) my nails/toes are done and b) my hair isn't in a side ponytail and I don't look like I'm about to go play a few rounds of Putt-Putt Golf...which I would never do because I loathe golf (no offense to you golfers out there - it's just not my cup of tea)! I'm just trying to give you a mental picture of my life in a nutshell. Here's what happened:

I decided to go get my nails done today.

I already had to explain to the nail technician that those were bruises under my big toenails and try as he might, no amount of scrubbing would rid my toenails of that luscious plum color I was sporting. To make matters worse, he had to call in reinforcements to help manage my pinky toenails that have been falling off the past few months. My face turned beet red as three nail technicians hovered over my feet and everyone in the pedicure chairs began staring in unison as we awaited the prognosis. It couldn't get much worse than that, right? WRONG.

I then scurried over to the manicure table where my forearms were massaged and my fingernails were painted "highlighter" yellow. Afterward, he sat me down at the drying table where, due to their lack of a clear table top (they should really invest in those things, ya know), I scuffed one nail against the other like always because there's just something about not being able to see my hands that makes me need to see my hands even more. Anyway, I finished drying and approached the check-out table where I discovered they don't take my specific credit card type. I then whipped out my EXPIRED debit card (not knowing it was expired at the time) only to have him shake his head and hand the card back to me. I looked to see how much cash I had and, you guessed it...I didn't have enough! I immediately began laughing (because that's just what I do in any and all situations) and reluctantly asked the man if he could give me 15-20min to run by my apartment to grab more money. Much to my surprise, he agreed to it! Still in shock, I wrote down my name and number and told him I would be back in a jiffy!

It wasn't until I was leaving Pretty Nails the second time that I realized how fortunate I was that the nail technicians trusted me enough to let me leave and go get more money! Driving away, I became emotional as everything that just happened registered in my brain - they didn't have to show mercy and compassion to a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed college student that was missing two toenails...but they did! They could have just as easily gotten mad, embarrassed me in front of the other customers, or worse...taken my nail polish off...but they didn't! They trusted me even though I did nothing to deserve that trust! To them I was a stranger with a deep, East Texas accent! Yet they smiled, told me it was okay, and they gave me another chance.

This, of course, reminded me of the mercy and compassion our gracious God shows us despite our shortcomings and failures. He smiles, tells us it's okay, and gives us another chance...not because we deserve it, but because he loves us! I am so grateful for the compassion I received today! Who knows...maybe I'll start getting my nails done more often! Even if I don't, every time I look down at my hands and feet or pass a Nail Salon, I'll be reminded of the manicure and mercy I received today.