The Sliver

Earlier this week I got a sliver. It wasn’t a big sliver. Just one of those tiny ones that hurt a lot. How can something so small, go so deep and hurt so bad? On the surface, it looks like it would be easy to pull out. However, I couldn’t get it out. So, here I sit with this tiny little sliver making my finger hurt. I’ve looked at it a couple of times, thought about trying to remove it again, only to decide to wait until a different time when I felt like dealing with the pain.

For some reason, this tiny little piece of wood made me think of a memory I had from when I was younger. We lived in an old, 4-story, full of character house. The main floor and upstairs were our most used areas. The attic was cool, but I never wanted to go up there alone. The basement? Well, the only way I’d go down there was if my dad was with me. It was old, had a dirt floor, and smelled funny. The entryway wasn’t large, but that’s where my brother, sister, and I would do most of our playing. Why? I have no idea. It was a big house with a lot of different rooms. Maybe it was because we were closer to where my parents were and the house didn’t feel so big that way. The entry had rooms on either side, and these rooms could be closed off with very large wood pocket doors. We rarely closed them. In fact, the one going into the living room was broke and wouldn’t go all the way into the wall. It hung out enough to see the door, but not enough to cause a problem…until that one night.

I loved Mary Lou Retton. I wanted to be like her in every way. I even had a leotard just like the one she wore. I would flip and cartwheel through the entry way with dreams of becoming as amazing as she was. I even had her hairstyle until my mom chose to give me a perm. I no longer looked like the beautiful Mary Lou. I resembled Richard Simmons and I’m not even kidding. I don’t care who you are, no leotard can fix that! Anyway, one night I was flipping through the entry and I came down along the broken pocket door. I remember the excruciating pain that shot through my foot. What in the world was happening? I was scared to even look. When I got up enough courage I saw a very large sliver along the edge of my right foot.

Most kids at this point would run screaming to their parents. But for some reason, I was so embarrassed. I knew if I would just go to my dad, he would help me. He would remove the sliver, give me a hug, and life would go on. But I didn’t do that. I quietly cried and limped up to my room. After all, I bet Mary Lou Retton would have never whacked her foot on that door.

Later that night, my parents came to tuck me in and pray for me. It was at this time that I revealed my secret. I remember my dad telling me that it was going to be just fine, but I had to trust him. After quite a few minutes of soaking and tweezing, my dad got that whole nasty sliver out of my foot. I cried and it hurt, but the relief that came when it was out made my confession worth it.

Why do I tell you this story? The truth is, a lot of our lives can be this way. Whether our “slivers” are big or small it doesn’t matter. If they stay under the surface too long, they get infected and cause more pain and trouble. Has someone hurt your feelings? Have you been betrayed? Have you made choices that led you down a path you didn’t want to go? Have you been offended and are still angry? Do you have unforgiveness towards someone? All of these are slivers in our lives.

So, what do we do?

We go to the One who can help us. We don’t have to feel embarrassed or afraid. He loves us beyond anything we can imagine. Our heavenly Father is more than willing, more than able, and loves us so much. He will gently remove the slivers in our lives and provide healing for the wounds. We just need to trust Him.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gently and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29

That’s what we really want isn’t it? Rest for our souls? Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a sliver to go pull.