One of the things that convinced me to post this happened just about an hour ago.
Before I finished composing this blog, my good friend Jelena stopped by after a Laker game and we fellowshipped a few minutes. She heard I had rearranged some of my furniture and she wanted to drop in to check out the changes. Upon leaving, I walked her to the door and said "Let me read you something I've been writing tonight for my blog...maybe you'll get a kick out of it...it will only take a minute." After I was done reading the below to Jelena, she held her hands up and her nails were worse than mine! I was shocked. I looked at her in horror and said, "Oh no that's terrible." She told me that she got so nervous while watching the game that she had practically taken off her fingers.
Like Jelena, I bite the skin around my nails as well. I know...too much information, right! Well, I typically don't bite any of my other fingers but my thumbs tend to take a beating - maybe I'm lacking some sort of nutrient or something. But for some reason if I'm working on a project or answering emails, I'll just gnaw away. What a bad habit, huh!
So today is the day that I've had enough biting. I'm finished. I'm giving it up for good...or at least with the help of the Lord I'll give it up for good.
Recently, I passed out a few tracts and as I held up the red and blue curved illusion tracts to the cashier at the Dollar Store, I quickly hid my thumbs so that only my pointer fingers would show. How embarrassing.
So tonight, ladies, I pondered 8 good reasons why we shouldn't bite our fingers - that goes for the men reading this, too - especially while you are watching the Laker finals. :-)
If you have a problem with biting, I'd like you to think long and hard about these 8 reasons to quit and then I challenge you to stop biting your nails for good and don't waste your life on such trivial things.
Now for the 8 reasons....
8. You'll be a good example to the young women around you (Titus 2:3-5).
7. You'll save a good amount of money (perhaps Neosporin® would go out of business if we stopped all our biting)
6. Your fingers won't hurt for days (especially when you use nail polish remover, or cut lemons in the kitchen for a glass of cold ice-water, or eat salty foods)
5. You'll be able to freely pass out curved illusion tracts and not worry about others missing the illusion because they are so caught up with looking at your fingers.
4. You won't get sick as much (aren't kids supposed to be the ones we tell, "Now don't put your fingers in your mouth...you don't want to catch a cold!")
3. You will have more focused time (think of all the time and energy you spend biting your nails. My dad does stunt driving and with his spare time he is a Collision Avoidance Driving Instructor and trains young students at Willlow Springs Raceway how to do to handle their cars in stormy conditions. Then he takes the students to the race track where the rubber meets the road.
A few years back he invited me to come up to the track and for the first time I sat in the cockpit of a race car going about 60+ miles an hour around a turn - now that's enough to make you really chew your nails...I thought I was going to die!
In the classroom setting, he explains to the teens, "Imagine you're talking on the phone and watching television at the same time. Now think with me. Are you really focused on both things? I can guarantee that the individual on the phone is not receiving your undivided attention - the same is true when we talk on the phone and drive...so don't talk and drive!")
I bet the same is true when we work and bite our nails...so don't work and bite. :-)
2. You won't have to hide your fingers anymore - especially if your making food and trying to be hospitable to the guests who have been invited to your home for dinner (besides who wants to eat your lovely meal after you've touched their food with your swollen sored up fingers!)
And now for the number one reason why we shouldn't bite our fingers...
1. It will honor God! (1 Cor 10:31)
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15 comments:
I thought the Lakers were one of two teams participating in the NBA finals. Thanks for setting me straight, Trish. What I learned from this post was that the Lakers are hosting a "finals" event at which there may be a less significant participant. (Not that I even pay attention to pro-basketball.) Oh, and I think I read something about thumb biting.
;)
I liked the part where you passed out tracts. : )
Craig
This is funny! What's strange is that I have a terrible habbit of biting my nails as well! My Mum does too. One day (for the same reasons of having to hide my nails) I decided to stop. I think it was around the 2nd week of may. I filed my nails and stopped chewing on my skin and nails. I was tired of having disgusting nails. It's not lady like at all.
I've broke the habbit! I just stopped. Every time I put my hand in my mouth I'd pray for someone I know.
Pray, or pick up your Bible every time you're tempted to bite!
-Lissie
That's a great list Trish! I bought "Kick the Habit - Stop the Bite" by Hoof Hands at Target in the nail polish section for my five year old daughter. She's a thumb sucker. Anyhow you may want to try the stuff, it taste terrible! :)
Melissa, you'd be proud of me. We just made it through a bad storm with the tornado sirens going off and I didn't bite once! :-)
I've bit my nails and fingers since I was two years old and my oldest daughter does it too and has since she was little. My dad did it all his life. I have stopped for a couple of weeks at a time and then I am right back to doing it. It is not only a nervous compulsion, but it is also a very bad habit.
I am going to pray tonight that the Lord will help me to stop once and for all. I smoked for 22 years and quit cold turkey, praise God! If I can do that with God's help, I can definitely do this! :)
Thanks for this post, Trish!
Good for you Trish! That storm actually affected us - Stephen was working at the Austin airport last night and since the Dallas airport closed planes were directed here and people were renting cars to drive to Dallas - Stephen had to stay at work until 4am!
I used to bite my nails, but now I don't have a legitimate reason to keep them long so they're nice and trimmed - no biting possible!
It makes picking your nose a lot harder though - maybe I should quit that instead?
Cheers,
@ Expattmatt
Haha. NICE I must say I really Laughed out loud on that one!
=) :-D
-Lissie
Nice and informative blog. When I was in college and for a little time afterward I was working as a professional magician and a mechanic, and let me tell you, the two jobs don't mix well. The mechanic job get my hands and nails really dirty, then I have to go and perform magic tricks for a few hours with people constantly looking at my hands.
I did use to bite my nails a bit, but when I got that professional magician job, something had to give, lots of hand cleaner and scrubbers. One becomes very self aware when ya know people have to stare at your hands all night.
Now I'm just doing the mehcanic thing, and magic tricks as a hobbie, but now, a habit that I got when doing both was when I would work on trucks I would wear gloves, and I still do for the most part. Helps keeps the hands looking nice and clean.
matt that was hilarious. :>
I have to admit that I have acrylics so it hides all the evidence. :)
Just an update that I've been doing very well with biting and that I still have all 5 fingers. :-)
that is 5 fingers on one hand...so I have a total of 10. Okay...I think it's time for bed now.
@ Trish:
I am printing this out for my wife, who eats her nails as a fourth meal of sorts, when we can't get Taco Bell, which is the real fourth meal in case you wonder.
Good job kicking the habit, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
@ ExPatMatt:
'Twas funny, friend. Truly gut-bustingly so!
@ Lissie:
No wonder you didn't do your chores that day. You were ON HERE??
Love you, girl!
--Daddy
@ Brazen--who happens to be my Dad
EXCUSE ME SIR!! That comment was made a long time ago. How do you know if I was doing my chores--or procrastinating?
I'll have you know I have 8 extra arms and I was multi-tasking. I was doing dishes, changing a diper, laundry, making dinner, commenting on Trish's blog, and holding a baby. (the other arms..well they were watching their fellow arms at work in fascination)
:DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
--Lissie
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