God doesn't waste pain

Photo by There Is Grace

I was privileged to guest post for my friend, Nancy, who is recovering from surgery. To read a piece of my story that many may not know, visit There Is Grace.

A rogue eyelash from Hades

Ever had a rogue eyelash? I had one for several years and didn't know it was the mystery thing I was constantly trying to get out of my eye.

I spent a lot of time searching for whatever was scratching my eye only to end up frustrated when I found nothing. It may sound silly but it was a huge nuisance that afflicted me daily.

This was the saga of my right eye until last year when I had the great idea of using my super-magnifying mirror at an angle. To my amazement, it was an eyelash growing towards my eye. I was so excited to finally have an answer.

I remembered hearing somewhere that eyelashes never grow back if you pluck them. I figured I had plenty of eyelashes and I was done with how this tiny eyelash messed with me. I confidently took my tweezers and plucked that baby. The relief was immediate and the freedom my eye felt was a confirmation of my decision.

Until this week, I had been free from that rogue eyelash from Hades. To my dismay it has grown back!! Someone out there is wrong...eyelashes do grow back. They grow back and they repeat the same offense. Not cool. Thankfully, I already have the answer and I have a date with my magnifying mirror to pluck it again.

My point, you ask? Dealing with a rogue eyelash can be a lot like dealing with life.

Sometimes the most natural reaction isn’t right. In my search for the source of my discomfort, I never thought it was my own eyelash growing towards my eye. It was natural to think it was something that had fallen in my eye and not that my own eye was causing the problem. When I evaluate situations to see what went wrong and I can’t say I start with myself first because, let’s face it, that’s not fun. I’m learning to kick pride out which means I have to force myself to look at me first. This isn’t a natural response; it’s actually quite painful. But, every single time I humble myself in this way, it brings such growth and peace.

Sometimes it just takes a different angle to truly see the situation. It wasn’t until I flipped the mirror sideways that the light shined on that eyelash. It wasn’t a one dimensional kind of situation and life’s situations aren’t either. There’s always more going on than what I can conceive and when I take the time to see all sides, I gain insight which brings understanding. Many times, understanding is the pathway to resolution – when I validate someone by acknowledging where they’re coming from, I see and deal with them through eyes of grace.

Sometimes the same issue has to be dealt with more than once (maybe repeatedly) but that doesn’t mean defeat. Dealing with my eyelash is symbolic of all the places I have to continually confront and uproot from my life. It may be a small matter that can easily be “plucked” once a year or it may be a huge matter that takes some serious thought, prayer and energy several times a year. It can be so discouraging to face the same thing over and over, but the key is to keep walking with consistency. If I remind myself I have battled this before and that I know how to win, I will win again.