Symbols of Obedience

I cut off all my finger nails as a reminder to be obedient...
This may seem like a very small and insignificant decision, but for me, it's a pretty big symbol and important reminder. For the better part of the last two years I have been growing and maintaining my fingernails. Part of that maintenance required going to a nail salon and having them shaped and fortified; never with any color, always natural. Today, I looked down at my hands and thought "I really need to let it go.."
Let go of the expense...the maintenance...and commit to getting my hands dirty; in more ways than one. 

I am someone who works with my hands. I do a lot of writing; not just at the computer, but with the pen and the page. I do a lot of integrating with nature; whether that be pulling weeds, cutting grass or my future aspirations of starting and maintaining a garden. I also work with metal; I up-cycle metal materials and make them into rings, necklaces, bookmarks...really anything that brings my creative spirit joy. I was finding myself being more and more careful with my hands all in an attempt to protect and preserve the growth of my nails; as if I don't trust that they will grow back.

I was trying to stay in a season longer than I was supposed to...

I often times look at my hands as a symbol of my femininity. Are my nails done? Do they look good? Who's gonna notice? Really, no one ever notices accept for me, but I have always gotten compliments when my nails are long. Are those your real nails? How did you get them that long? How do they stay so strong? I don't really have those answers, but I do know I come from a long line of strong hands, so I guess in turn that means I come from a long line of strong nails...

That's not even really the point of me writing any of this...today, I looked at my hands and felt that they were a symbol of my disobedience, so I cut them down. I haven't seen my hands with short nails in so long, and it made me laugh. Because guess what? They still look beautiful. 

Sometimes we need these simple reminders to hit us at our core, and now I know that every time I look down at my hands I think about not just being obedient, but staying obedient. These hands are ready for harvest reason.

What do you need to let go of in this season?
What areas do you need to be more obedient?

Here's to the journey and trusting the process.