Monday, April 03, 2006

Manicure Anyone?

Have you ever noticed that we live in a society that promotes instant gratification? I mean, come on, standing in line for five minutes at Starbucks is about as painful as it gets for some people.

Just yesterday I read an article in a popular women’s magazine about the new “Instant Manicure.” Apparently for a mere eight dollars you can now purchase “Sixteen super-thin, chip-resistant strips of pre-melted and pre-dried nail polish and top coat.” Simply take a strip place it on your nail up against your cuticle and smooth it down. Bend it over the edge of your nail, and then tear off the excess and there you go—instant manicure! No dry time, not wait and most importantly no smudges.

I don’t know about you, but I find it extremely disturbing that we live in a society that provides alternatives for those of us who cannot seem to find the time to paint our own nails.

Last time I checked patience was still one of the fruits of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:22. But I don’t know if most of us could be patient if we tried. When was the last time you had to wait for something you really wanted?

And more importantly, when was the last time you had to wait for something you really needed? Chances are, at least here in America, there has always been a meal handy when you needed it. Clothing hasn’t been in any short supply. And depending on where you live, the roof over your head could be costing your parents close to half a million dollars.

Since your life experiences may not be teaching you much about the virtue of patience, do yourself a favor and look for ways you can teach yourself a little patience this week. Purposely choose the longer line when you go to the store—and don’t complain about it. Hang on to your cash a little longer instead of purchasing that new CD you really want to buy, but will probably only listen to once or twice. Or better yet, take that money and give it away to someone who really needs it. Wear what’s in your closet instead of rushing out to buy into yet another latest and greatest trend.

And most importantly, spend a little time practicing patience by waiting on God. Grab a notebook, a pen and your Bible and go some place quiet and just listen. Don’t bring any music. Turn your cell phone off. And wait and see what God just might tell you when you finally make the time to listen. Practice the art of patience this week.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

i dont get it.... you said stuff about a manicure 1 time... i thought you would say something good i was sadly mistaken.

Shannon said...

Sorry you didn't think what I had to say about patience was any good.

The point of the entry was that if we are too rushed to paint our own nails, we are definately too rushed in life. We all need to slow down and take time to listen to God and enjoy the fast paced life that is passing us by.

Anonymous said...

It's not that a manicure is evil or bad - it's just the 'moral of the story', isn't it? thanks for your blog Shannon!

mbpbooks said...

Amen, Shannon. Get me off this treadmill!

tess said...

We do live in a society which praises instant gratification. Example : Why wait on a future mate when you can date and have just as much "fun"? Lord, help us all!