Like a Rhinestone Cowgirl...

I am really not a rhinestone kind of girl, but you wouldn't know that by the looks of me these days. Right this moment I have 20 rhinestones glued to my fingernails and toenails. And it's all for Jesus. Let me explain.

For Mother's Day, this past May, Jeff and Bryan gave me a gift certificate to have my nails done. I was pretty excited because this is something I really love to do, but often feel guilty spending the money for it. Anyway, after the certificate was used up, I was in need of a "fill in" (you ladies will know what I mean), so I went to a nail salon that was closer to the house just because. yeah, right. This was a divine appointment.

The girl who worked on my nails that day started a conversation about my family. I shared about Jeff and Bryan, and I told her we were in the process of trying to adopt from Vietnam. She is from Vietnam. Coincidence? I think not. This started a huge discussion about the whole adoption process which finally led to the question "Why would you go to Vietnam to get a baby?". I answered her honestly, "Because we really feel like that's where God wanted us to go. I don't know any other way to explain it". She was stunned, telling me that it was unbelievable that God would tell anyone to go to Vietnam. She then pointed out that she was wearing a buddha necklace. She told me that she and the other ladyd working there worshipped buddha, and she asked me if I believed in him. I said no; she asked why. So, I told her that my God was the One True living God,and that was something she could not say about buddha. She changed the subject, and it was time to go.

For my next visit, I prayed so hard before going in, for God to give me the opportunity to start a new conversation. I was put with another girl named Kelly. To be honest, I was disappointed, but I walked to her station. Much to my surprise, she said "I was hoping you would come back. Tell me more about your God". We had a wonderful conversation about how God loves everyone, no matter what our backgrounds are or even if we love Him back. She asked me about how I talked to Him, and we talked about prayer. Finally, she said "So pray for me", and I told her I would. She said, "Do it now".

So we prayed right there. It was beautiful.

And all the while, I kept telling her to do more things so I could stay longer. I got the pedicure too. Then I agreed to let her paint a flower on my toes. I didn't care. I just wanted more time to talk to her.

For my last visit, she added a design to my fingernails too. All the while we prayed together and talked about what it meant to follow God. She asked me so many questions. She was shocked when I said that God wanted me to be her friend even if she didn't believe in Him. We talked about God's commands to love our enemies, and she asked if I loved her. When I said yes, she asked if I was gay. Seriously.

Today I had another appointment. I was nervous when I went in, wanting the chance to talk some more. She started some small talk, often telling me that "nothing in life is free". When I didn't respond the way she had wanted, she finally said "You are supposed to say that your God is free. I want to talk about His free gift!". She asked what it meant when I had told her that God's love for us is a free gift if we will just take it. She asked how I could "know" someone I couldn't see. She asked me if going to church meant knowing God, and I explained that it was part of it, but not everything. We talked about how you can know about God but not really know Him personally. I explained it like us getting to know our husbands and spending lots of time with them. The more we know, the more we love. And after all these years, we still are learning new things. I even told her that the Bible tells us that our relationship with Christ is like a marriage. She didn't like that one, asking me if I was polygamous :) She was open, honest, reflective and searching for Truth.

As we talked, she got excited, and she told me "Today I will give you something special for your nails". I briefly envisioned tiny buddhas on my hands and feet. But, she gave me flowers made of tiny rhinestones glued together. Yeah, baby. I am blinging. 4 flowers made of 5 rhinestones each = 20 rhinestones.

I feel sort of odd walking around with this much glitter on me. But every time I look at these little flowers, I think of Kelly, and I pray for her. She is searching for Truth. I know the Truth, and it has set me free. I told her today about my salvation experience, and I asked her if she was interested in knowing more. She said yes, but then she also said that her husband would be very angry if she learned more about God, and so would the rest of her family. We stopped talking then. She's my friend, and she was getting scared. I don't want to force her into anything. I want her to know I genuinely care for her.

I can't wait to see what she'll put on me next time! I guess I will be blinging all summer long.