Christian Growth and Big Toe Troubles

When I was in high school I had the most traumatizing thing happen to me.

I had to have my big toe nail removed.  Yep.

Ok, so you might be thinking I am being a little dramatic here, but seriously, it was awful.  What was worse is the fact that when my new toe nail grew back it was a shade of green.  Did you read that…green!! It also was raised up a little bit.

Needless to say it looked like it belonged to some sort of rare bird species and it wasn’t something that I flaunted.  (some of you might not even know about this and are wondering how you got away with being friends with a girl who had a green big toe-yep, you’re welcome).  My only saving grace was nail polish.  When I had nail polish on there was some semblance of normal and I felt like I could at least wear open-toed shoes in the summer and get away with it.

Fast forward 20 years (I graduated HS when I was 10) and my big toe nail decided to try to take over my life again. (cue dramatic sigh)  I went to get a pedicure and the nail tech alerted me that the side of my toe nail had started to come loose.  A few days after my pedicure, the bottom part of my nail started to detach so I decided that I should get it checked out because who knows what could happen if I didn’t show that green toe nail who was boss.  It was a real eye of the tiger moment for me.

I had my appointment yesterday because what else would I rather be doing than traveling to Cortland (the only location who could get me in quickly) and seeing a podiatrist.  I tried to prepare myself on our drive there.  I told my husband that I was sure the doctor was going to have to take the nail off again, that it would grow back 5 times the size and be a neon orange color forcing me to wear neon nail polish for the rest of my days.  He assured me that it probably wouldn’t be neon orange and just a regular shade of orange so that dark polishes would be an option.  (dramatic eye roll)

Christian Growth: Dealing with What I Feared Most

So we get to the doctor and he said the words I feared most, “We’re going to have to take the nail.”  Gulp.  He said that we could use some ointments and that maybe we could get it to grow back in a way that would cause it to not stick up so much off the skin, but he couldn’t promise anything.  I put on my brave face and said that he should do what he thought was best.  A few needle pricks later my toe was numb and ready.  My doctor went to work and began to remove my beloved green toe nail.

A few minutes into the procedure I heard a voice exclaim….

“Wow! There is already a new nail growing back under here and it looks perfect!”

Wait, what?  Was I dreaming??

I looked down and there it was before my eyes.  The start of a beautiful toe nail.  It wasn’t green and it wasn’t raised.  It was flush to the skin and it looked completely normal.  I was amazed!

[clickToTweet tweet=”At that very moment God spoke to me and said….Just because you’ve always had a problem, doesn’t mean new growth isn’t just around the corner or under the surface.  Wow! #goalaccomplish1 ” quote=”At that very moment God spoke to me and said….Just because you’ve always had a problem, doesn’t mean new growth isn’t just around the corner or under the surface.  Wow!”]

You see, it had been so long that I had lived with that green toe nail.  By now I thought it was just part of who I was and I would forever be the girl with the green toe nail.  But now, by some act of grace, I am not.  I am Melissa with the normal toe nail growing every back in.  Who knows how long it had been growing back in, but the reality is that growth was going on beneath the surface that I didn’t see.

Christian Growth Takes Time

That’s the same for so many situations in our lives.  Growth can take time and it may not be noticeable at first,  until one day you realize the old is gone and new has come in its place.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Where you were once powerless to anxious thoughts, you now have the strength to stop them in their tracks. Praise the Lord! #God #biblicalencouragement #goalaccomplish1″ quote=”Where you were once powerless to anxious thoughts, you now have the strength to stop them in their tracks. Praise the Lord!”]

Where you once would complain, gratitude grows instead.

Where you couldn’t trust, trust overflows.

Don’t give up.  Just because you have struggled with something for as long as you can remember, doesn’t mean it will always define you.  God has been faithful in changing so many parts of my life for the better.  It has been a process and a gradual growth.  I’m so glad He used the strangest thing to encourage me yesterday.  But He hit the big toe nail on the head….don’t you think?!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
2 Corinthians 5:17