I love how God shows me my heart struggles. Today’s obvious
struggle: Summer’s pride.
This may be a shock to some of my readers, but I re-pierced
my nose here in India.
It was quite the experience having a sharpened piece of wire pushed through my
nose and bent into the shape of a ring. (Don’t worry, Mom. It was a jeweler’s
place, not a back-alley lean-to.) The jeweler told me to come back after seven
days to remove the wire and put in an actual nose ring.
Promptly after leaving the jeweler’s place, I informed all
of my teammates that I would only return if the timing worked out. Otherwise, I
would take my multi-tool with needle-nosed pliers and remove the ring myself.
To those of you back home, this doesn’t surprise you, but my teammates looked
at me like I was crazy.
So, this afternoon, I endeavored to take out my nose ring
while all of my teammates were out in town. I started trying to bend the wire
and it hurt! But, I continued on until I had bent the wire, but the pain was
intense. At one point, I had a narrowly bent portion of the ring lodged in my
nose, snot flowing everywhere, tears streaming down my face, and four-letter
expletives escaping my mouth while I stomped the floor like a two-year old
toddler. I looked at myself in the mirror and burst into laughter and tears at
the same time. “God,” I cried, “I have to be the stupidest, most prideful
person. I could have just gone to the jeweler’s where they have the tools and
experience to take this ring out in a matter of seconds. Yet, here I stand, a hysterical
mess after at least an hour, because I was so determined to do this myself.
Please, help me get this stupid ring out of my nose!”
Praise the Lord, I do not have a nose ring lodged in my nose
and I am now calm as I write this blog. I have just learned a little more about
the issues of my heart. You would think that after living with people for
constantly around me for six months, that I could learn to ask for help and not
try to do everything by myself, but pride is dying a slow death.
