That was not the experience I had. Immediately when I sat down in my chair and put my feet into the water, I knew something was up. The water was scalding hot! Then the nail tech sat down.. total language barrier. "It's ok, though," I thought. After all, a pedicure in any language is still a pedicure. The water began to cool and I felt a little better, but then he took my foot... and proceeded to inflict the absolute most pressure and pain I've ever felt during a nail service. And he couldn't understand when I said it hurt! "It be ok!" He said! I honestly began to think he mistook my request for a simple pedicure as a challenge to surgically remove each of my toenails one by one.
At last, this pain and pressure ended. I thought the rest of my pedicure would go on in peace. But, alas, no. When time came for the foot massage, he proceeded to beat me on the legs from upper thighs all the way to the soles of my feet! Once finished, he literally flossed between my toes with a towel -- seriously one of the most awkward experiences of my life.
Finally, he began to paint my toenails. The color was beautiful... and he must have loved it, too! He applied 4 coats of sparkly purple polish to each of my toes. Clearly, this guy goes hard or goes home. Just when I thought we were done, he rolled down the legs of my pants and beat my legs again. Then, he carefully walked me to my seat by the dryer and placed my feet exactly where he wanted them to go.
It was painful, awkward.. and yet.. after it was finished, when I started to leave, I realized I felt so peaceful and relaxed. My feet felt better than they had in a long time. They were perfectly cleaned, clipped, smoothed, and polished. All of the yucky layers were gone, and they were like new.
....And then I thought, "That's the way it is with God sometimes." We don't always get what we expect. We think as Christians that our lives should be smooth and comfortable. We should know exactly what to expect and when to expect it. There should be no twists and turns along the way. The water should be warm and soothing, never too hot or too cold. We shouldn't have to experience pain, and we certainly shouldn't have to step out of our comfort zones. In short, we as Christ followers, expect things to easy.
James 1:2-4 says, " Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
Not only does James write that we will face trials, but we are to count them as JOY! Why would we be joyful when we face trials? Because he goes on to say that these trials produce steadfastness. In short, it teaches us stability, and stability in Christ makes us WHOLE!
John 16:33 tells us, "33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Guys, Christ has overcome the world, and we face trials so that we may be made complete, and be made new! What does it mean when I say Christ has overcome the world? It means, simply put, that there is nothing in this world that Christ can't conquer. He has conquered sickness, pain, suffering, death, relationships, evil, and sin. We are not able to conquer these things on our own, but with Christ by our sides, there's nothing that is too big. 1 Peter 5:10 says, "And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you."
After our sufferings, God promises to restore us! He promises to strengthen us. He will establish us for our intended purpose...
... Kinda like my painful pedicure did for me. Yes, I really thought it hurt for a little while. It was different, and it was uncomfortable. But after a while, I realized that this nail tech, (whom, might I add, I honestly thought was crazy,) and whom I absolutely could not understand, knew what he was doing the whole time. I tried to understand what he was saying. I tried to communicate, but I felt like it was in vain. But when it came down to it, he wasn't necessarily interested in my ease of experience. He was concerned with the end result. He wanted to produce a lasting change and reestablish the usefulness of purpose to my aching and abused feet. And when I finally allowed him, he gently led me where he wanted me to go, and placed me comfortably in the perfect place so that I could experience the fullness of my restoration. I just had to give in and go.
So, the next time you have an experience that you consider to be a trial, have patience and take heart. You may be being prepared to fulfill your ultimate purpose. Maybe you just need to trust and let Christ overcome for you. ;)
