The Painted Pinkie

I'm not very good about caring for my fingernails. Even after I managed to quite biting my nails in eighth grade, I never made a priority to take care of them. I periodically am inspired to throw on a coat of cheap polish here and there, but I've never been one to keep up with overgrown cuticles, less a few trips to the salon for prom and weddings. I've also noticed that guitar-playing isn't so great for the maintenance of freshly manicured nails.

On mission trips, a fun way to engage with kids and other women is to offer to paint their nails. It's a wordless way of saying, "It doesn't matter how dirty you are, I still think you're beautiful and worthy, and I want to serve you." It's almost akin to modern-day feet washing. Last week in Nicaragua, my team and I were planning to paint our friend Nubia's nails for her when Humberto joined the conversation. He proudly showed us his chipped coat of paint on his fifth finger. "It's for good luck and happiness," he said, adding that he'd had a colorful pinkie for 5 months. We laughed and added a fresh layer of blue polish over the green he had. Ervin thought it was cool too, so we painted his nail as well.

In the states, I'd seen quite a few people keep an accent color on a single finger, but never thought much of it. I always figured it was just a trend (it was) and never felt compelled to do it myself. But yesterday when I was finally scraping the dirt and sand out from under my nails, reflecting on the mission work that had turned them brittle and yellow, I remembered Humberto's painted pinkie. It was his own special form of meditation every day, reminding himself to think positively and to look for luck. It's an interesting concept, but not a new one. Tattoos, jewelry and even clothing can all be similar symbols, reminding us of something important. I don't wear a wedding ring, but I have bracelets that remind me to keep my focus on God, such as the one in the following picture with Jeremiah 29:11 inscribed in it. 

After my conversation with Alberto last Tuesday, my teammates and I started another discussion about tattoos. Kyla mentioned that someone she looks up to a lot draws an X on his wrist every day to remind himself to "seek first the kingdom." We noted that the daily action of drawing the X was a unique and meaningful alternative to getting a tattoo, because it requires intentionality. Tattoos are maybe less effective at reminding the wearer of the cause because it's so easy to get used to them, and they almost don't even phase us after a while. My tattoo is like that sometimes, especially because it's in such an inconspicuous location. 

So, yesterday after cleaning and clipping my nails, I decided to follow Humberto's example and painted my pinkie a different color than the rest of my fingers. My purpose wasn't for luck or happiness, but rather to remember the important lessons that God taught me while in Nicaragua, some of which I haven't even realized yet. These next couple weeks will be a roller coaster of emotions, as I know I will be going through periods of both joyful remembrance as well as brokenhearted-ness, and God will be instructing and shaping me as I reflect. My hope is that the accent on my pinkie will remind me to be praying for my brothers and sisters in Nicaragua, my teammates in the US, and for the strength to submit my life to the Lord. As it chips, I'll add a fresh coat, being intentional about this lifelong journey as a missionary both here at home as well as abroad.