Short Stories

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Every Good and Perfect Gift
The Broken Fingernail

Middle age can sometimes be a time of great disappointment. This is a time of great reflection. Looking back on what could have been if we had made better decisions, looking ahead to what is left after we have made bad decisions. Lots of losses had occurred over the last 2 years. Becoming an empty nester as the one and only child went away to college, being laid off from a career of 27 years due to corporate downsizing, not to mention gravitational bodily changes, graying hair and loss of energy.

One Sunday as I went to church alone once again, as my husband had been working many consecutive Sundays in a row, I was feeling sad and lonely. So much so that I was crying as I was getting ready for the church service. I told God all about how I was feeling and why so I was sure He knew how unfair I thought my circumstances were. Not a very thankful heart for a Christian, especially on a Sunday.

My church is extremely large, and though I have been attending for 8 years and know a lot of people, due to it’s size, you can sometimes go to one of the 4 services and not end up seeing anyone you know. I really hoped I would see a familiar face that day.
As I drove to church missing my daughter and my husband, my cell phone rang. Unexpectedly my daughter decided she missed me and wanted to tell me that she would soon begin her 3 hour drive to come home for 2 days. I was surprised and overjoyed to say the least. The day was beginning to get brighter. As I arrived at church I immediately ran into 2 good friends who sat with me during the service. The worship was unusually wonderful and I felt God’s presence very strongly.

After church, I decided to kill a little time until the arrival of my daughter by going to the local shopping mall. After I pulled in the parking lot, I noticed that my left thumb had a broken fingernail. This was somewhat disappointing because for some reason my nails had been growing nice and long lately and looked good for a change. I searched around in my purse looking for a nail file to file the ragged edges and could not find one. Guess it will have to wait till I get home, I thought. As I walked around the mall, I kept rubbing my middle finger over the jagged edges of my broken nail, wishing I could repair the damage.
About an hour later I decided to return home as my daughter would be arriving soon. I got into the car and started driving. I began to fidget with the broken nail once again and I couldn’t believe what I felt. The nail was miraculously smooth, rounded and perfect! It was like it never happened. I thought to myself, am I losing my mind? Did I imagine the broken nail? Of course, not! It was broken and now it was fixed! This was some kind of a sign from God, of that I was sure. But what was He trying to tell me? After I got over the shock of the miracle I had just experienced, the answer began to penetrate my heart.




You see, he cares about us and loves us so much. He cares about every small little detail. Even though He knows when we hurt, He still wants us to talk to Him about it. He wants us to open our hearts and unload the good and the bad. He listens and He knows exactly what we need.
Every good thing that happened that day I knew was a divine intervention. My daughters unexpected visit, the friends at church, the worship where I felt His presence. That was more than enough to make me feel better so why, I asked was the fingernail fixed? It was such a small insignificant problem in comparison to the real problems of my life. I later understood that the fingernail was a reminder of God’s power and His love! It showed me that only He has the power to fix us when we are broken. No matter how hard we sometimes try to fix ourselves, we can’t do it as good as He can. He makes all things new! Praise Him for His goodness! Every good and perfect gift comes from Him!

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