These nails
My attention to nails and abhorrence for unkempt nails were nurtured but, over time, became nature. Saturday or Sunday night we took turns with Mum to cut our nails. History suggests that even when we were toddlers and too young for a razor, Mom used her teeth to cut our nails, but those are not the nails I am referring to; my interest is elsewhere.
In the intro to Donald Lawrence's song “These Nails,” which he said was inspired by speaking with my PoP. PoP told him that when we first get saved and come to the altar to accept Christ, right when we turn around and walk back to our seat, an invisible cross shows up behind us.
Early in our relationship with God, there is a distance between us and the cross. Over time, the distance closes as we grow because Christ, who is the nail fastened to a sure place, restrains us (Isaiah 22:22-23). So, when Paul said, 'I'm crucified with Christ,' you must see Christ's nails in your hand and Christ's nails in your feet. When you attempted to move in a certain direction, you couldn’t because of these nails.
And when they got on your nerves, you wanted to go curse them out. You couldn't because of these nails. When someone took my one acre of land and I wanted to go low with them, the nail wouldn't allow me. When people I thought were friends turned out to be foes, I wanted to confront them, but the nail said no. When people violated my trust and threw me under the bus, I thought I would call a press conference, but these nails restrain me
To be clear, it is not only our flaws that the nail keeps in check but even our good parts that have no balance. Recently I was going all out for someone to be supportive, just as I would want someone to be supportive of me. But the nail reminded me my empathy was pushing against my boundary. The nail reminded me to stop playing savior or God in the situation, because God can take care of people better than I could. Also, there were things my Mum kept in check but there were other things did because “omo tabi in ile ire” does not behave certain way
What are the things the nail restrains you from? What burdens are you struggling to keep nailed to the cross? I learn that the work of salvation is done and finished, but the work of renewing and regeneration is continuous. Kenneth Hagin proposes that individuals can experience salvation in their spirit yet remain unregenerated in their souls. That is possibly why you can have a born-again stripper or someone who is prodigal yet a son. What the Apostle Paul suggests is an internal struggle, dialectics, and contradictions within himself: E. W. Kenyon, one of my other favorites, said, “We can be out of fellowship with God, but we can never be out of relationship.” So you are still God's child, his favourite in spite of your flaws. You may be flawed, but you are still loved by God.
I hope that this Easter allows you and me to celebrate the things that the nail has kept on the cross while we, through every godly tool and behavioral science available, continue to work on what the nails are yet to keep on the cross.
One of the disciples says, “Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails and put my finger into the print of the nails and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.” (John 20:25) Maybe we need to start showing the imprints of his nails so that people can know we are not where we hope to be in our walk with God, but we are not where we used to be before we encountered him.
Max Lucado’s book suggests, He chose the nail!
Happy Resurrection!
