Smear Tactics

Two days after my pedicure I noticed that my right big toe was smeared at the tip. I was rather surprised. I had made it a priority to watch how I walked, to wear only sandals, and to not bump into anything, particularly for those first days. Yet here I had a nice smudge that essentially ruined my $17 expenditure.

So what was I to do? I could retouch the tip with a color close to the one on my toe. But when I went to the store to match the color, I discovered that this was very difficult when you can’t open the bottle and take a sample. Everything I tried was an obvious mismatch.

I couldn’t even go back to the salon to pull out the same bottle. I probably couldn’t find the exact one I used, and I think I’d be too embarrassed to ask to do my own touchup. Nothing except removing all the polish from my nails and reapplying a whole new color would do.

Sin is like a smear on our lives. It leaves a mark that we cannot fix. No matter what we do, we can never get things back to its original state. Only God can make things whole. Only He can take the smear, smooth it out, and reapply it to its proper place, leaving no marks or discolorations behind. No longer are we like filthy rags as the book of Isaiah states. Through His grace and mercy, He can make us clean and useable.