January 15, 2025
Over Christmas break, I took two of my granddaughters to get their nails done. They had received money and gift cards for Christmas and were anxious to use them. Honestly, they were ready to spend all of their money and gift cards on Christmas night but thankfully nothing was open.
I took Laney, who is 13, and Liza, who is 11, to the nail salon. On the way over, they discussed what they wanted to do with their nails. Laney had looked on a popular website and found a picture of what she wanted. You may be like me and not be "educated" on all the things you can do with your nails, but Laney had done her research. She wanted these gel, fake nails with a French manicure. Sounds fancy, right? She also had a picture where she was requesting a "bow" be painted on one nail of each hand. I honestly didn't know you could request such things.
On the other hand, there was Liza. She just wanted hers painted. There are times when she "might" bite her nails so hers actually were not very long. When we got to the nail salon, she looked at all the colors. She picked out a pink color and an orange color and decided she just wanted hers painted those colors alternating every other nail. When I say she didn't have large nails to paint I mean she didn't have much at all. She didn't want a design on her nails, she just wanted them painted. Her request was very simple and didn't take long at all.
Laney's, however, took much longer. Since Liza was done with hers first, she had time to admire them. She was so pleased with the colors she chose and the way they looked. It was something simple and really, we could have done it at home and saved her some money, but I guess that is beside the point. She told me over and over how much she loved them. When Laney was done hers looked like something from a magazine and she was just as proud.
I have thought about the difference in the two nail requests. One was quite fancy, and the other was simple. As I was thinking about the differences, I think God spoke to my heart. He reminded me that the gospel message of God's love is simple. Sometimes we try to complicate it, fancy it up, or add extras that are not necessarily needed. It's really about love - God's love for us and then us sharing God's love with others. We seem to want to make that love seem like it's a complicated process. It is simple - GOD LOVES US!
Regardless of how rich or poor, how educated or uneducated, where you work or live, the gospel can connect with all people and God loves all people. We seem to think we have to share God's love in "grand" ways, and we don't. There are so many ways to use the simple things in our day-to-day lives to minister to others around us. A smile, a hug, a kind word, a note, a phone call, or just time spent with someone to show you care. These are all ways God can use the simplicity of who we are, where we are, and what we do to show others His love. These are the ways that others will feel the love of God through us.
If you look up the definition of simple it says basic, or uncomplicated in form, nature, or design, without much decoration or ornamentation. God's love is offered to us in a simple basic manner without decoration or fanfare. When we accept God's love, we can then offer it to others in the same manner. We have to block out all the distractions around us and focus on what matters - sharing Jesus and His love.
I read a story that impressed me about the simplicity of how we interpret things. An atheist father didn't want his daughter to know about God. He wrote on a piece of paper "God is nowhere" and then gave it to his daughter. She was just learning to read and as she sounded out the sentence, she interpreted it to say "God is now here." The powerful simplicity of God's love - here for us to share.
I pray that God will allow me to see and use the seemingly simple things in my everyday walk with Him to give me the opportunities to minister to others with love and care. I pray we all recognize them every single day. I will admit that Laney's nails looked beautiful and fancy, but I am so grateful for Liza and her simple orange and pink nails. Who knows? I might just decide to paint my nails with two pretty simple colors. If you see me and my nails are painted orange and pink, just know it is to remind me that God is "now here," His love is real, and it is a simple message we all need and are able to share.
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Jill Johnson, a staff member at the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, finds spiritual applications in her everyday experiences as a wife, mother, grandmother and Georgian. She is available to speak to your church's women's gatherings. Reach her at jjohnson@gabaptist.org.
