Like a Sliver

I was working in the yard about three weeks ago, moving some mulch, when I got a sliver under my fingernail. It hurt like the dickens, and was visible, a black line just beneath the nail, where it extended nearly three quarters of the way up. None of the sliver was reachable with a tweezers, a needle, or anything else. It didn't help that this particular nail has a ridge that dips down, right along the path of the sliver, making it that much harder to see the end of the sliver under the nail, let alone get ahold of it. 

As soon as I came into the house, I washed my hands with soap and doused the offending finger with hydrogen peroxide, which bubbled up just like it was supposed to, killing any bacteria that dared to accompany the sliver. When Bill got home, he tried to remove it, with no success, and with much pain on my part, so he gave up because he didn't want to hurt me. I googled how to remove a sliver from under a nail, and tried soaking my finger in a solution of baking soda and water, as suggested. Afterwards, the sliver wasn't any easier to reach, but at least it stopped hurting. 

The articles I read online all suggested that such a sliver was likely to become infected, so it should be removed as soon as possible, by a doctor if I was unable to get it out myself. I really didn't want to see my doctor for something as insignificant as a splinter, especially now when doctors have much more important things to deal with, so I decided to wait a few days and see what happened. (Besides, who wants to pay a doctor to cut away a fingernail just to remove a sliver?)

I hoped that, as my fingernail grew, the sliver would be pushed out along with it. In the meantime, I washed my hands often--don't we all, these days?--and poured hydrogen peroxide on it whenever I remembered to do so. And then, I watched for signs of infection, and waited, and prayed, and waited some more. 

One morning, after more than two weeks, I thought I could see a bit of the sliver's end, protruding out past the nailbed. I applied more hydorgen peroxide, and cut my nail as short as possible, which, for that nail, is quite short, due to a previous injury and medical intervention. Then, I used some scissors to cut a little notch in the nail, right where I hoped the sliver would be revealed, and there it was. 

Just a tiny bit of that black sliver was exposed. After all that time, I really expected it to disintegrate when I touched it, so I used a needle, carefully, to position it appropriately so I could grab it with my tweezers and pull it out. And, just like that, it came out, the whole thing at once, in only one try.

I was relieved, to say the least, and grateful to God for preventing infection, and for guiding my clumsy, arthritic hands to do what they needed to do. I irrigated the finger with one more splash of hydrogen peroxide, and then it was done. I can still see a white channel under the nail, where the sliver once resided, but I expect that will close up as my fingernail grows.

This poor finger has suffered through stitches, minor surgery, arthritis and accompanying mucous cysts, as well as the cracks I get every winter. It isn't pretty, but at the least the sliver is finally gone.

There's no doubt about it, waiting is hard. We live in an instant gratification society, where we are used to getting what we want immediately. We want what we want, when we want it.

I waited impatiently for more than two weeks for my sliver to be removed. We've all been waiting for more than two months for COVID-19 to go away. Sometime it feels like we are destined to wait forever. Like David, in Psalm 13, we feel like lamenting dramatically:

O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way?
 How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day?
    How long will my enemy (Coronavirus) have the upper hand?

 Turn and answer me, O Lord my God! Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die.
 Don’t let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!”
    Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall.

 But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me.

    I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me.

I tried to do all the right things for my finger as I waited, keeping it clean and disinfected, watching for signs of infection. I was prepared to see the doctor if it became obviously necessary.

Many of us have been trying to do the right thing in the midst of this pandemic. We are sheltering at home, wearing masks when we must venture out to the grocery store or a necessary appointment. We are learning new skills to help us through this trial--I've learned how to Zoom for Lifegroup and Levi's piano lessons, how to participate in online worship, and how to assist Levi with his online schoolwork; I even voted by mail for the first time ever. Some people, like Bill, have continued to provide essential services for the rest of us. We are all hoping there will be no need to see a doctor for any serious illness, including the novel coronavirus.

We all are disinfecting surfaces, washing hands frequently, and trying to keep our distance from anyone who isn't family. We've adapted to these sudden changes, some more gracefully than others, and all of us somewhat impatiently, or even fearfully, at times. Just like I was eager to have my sliver removed, we are anxious for COVID-19, and the threat of debilitating illness, to be gone, so we can resume some normal activities, the sooner, the better. We are tired of waiting.

Of course, there are always those people who think the rules don't apply to them. And many of us question the necessity of some of the extreme measures that have been instituted, even as we do our best to comply. We are learning (or relearning) how to occupy ourselves at home. We are doing more things with our families, perhaps rebuilding relationships that have suffered in our busyness. We are tackling at-home projects that may have been put off for far too long. We are slowing down, whether or not we really want to, regaining some values that may have been lost in our normally hectic lives. Eventually, just as my sliver came out, COVID-19 will be contained, our restrictions will be lifted, and life will settle down to a new, maybe better, normal. Until then, we have no choice but to wait, trusting God to give us everything we need.

They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:1