Monday, April 23, 2007

The 'Nail'


When I was a small child I loved nails; the ten penny nails. They were cool to the touch, strong and smooth, and the new ones seemed to have a special shine. We kept the nails in a drawer in the ‘little white house’ in front of our trailer house where we lived. The ‘little white house’ was small, quant and used for storage. At some point in my childhood the front room of the 'little white house' was used as an office for my Dad’s business.

From time to time I would wonder into the ‘little white house,’ take out a nail, hold it, feel the weight and strength and then return it to the drawer. One sunny afternoon I got the ‘bright’ idea to place 4 of those mesmerizing nails under each tire of my dad’s car. I was too young to consider the consequences.

I went to the ‘little white house,’ removed 4 specially selected nails and began to place each nail at just the right angle of each tire. I was very pleased with myself and the job I had accomplished. I walked around the car surveying a ‘job well done.’

The next morning I went out to play. Glancing over at the car, I noticed my nails were gone. I quickly ran to the ‘little white house,’ removed 4 more specially selected nails and placed them with just as much care as the day before, under each of the tires. I dusted off my hands and ran to play.

That afternoon my Dad approached me, “Monalea!” “Yes?” I answered with a smile. “Are you putting those nails under the tires of the car?” He asked. I could see from the downward turn of his usually smiling face that my ‘job well done’ was not a ‘job well done’ after all. Taking a deep breath, eyes down cast, I answered, “Yes sir.” The silence was deafening as I waited for his next words. It seemed forever before he replied….”Don’t do it ever again. It is costing me lots of money to fix my tires.” Then he ruffled the hair on top of my head, smiled and walked away. The realization of what those nails had accomplished hit me.

It wasn’t until years later that I fully understood what a different type of ‘nail’ had accomplished!

Acts 2:23 “This Man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put Him to death by nailing Him to the Cross.”


13 comments:

Anonymous said...

HA, i understand where i get my good charms from! Mom you are so awesome at everthing you do in life! i love you so much!

Anonymous said...

Monalea:
Ouch! Great story!
Have a happy day!

Monalea said...

Anonymous, I know who your are and I love you!

David, Thanks for leaving your comment. Need a bandage?

Anonymous said...

Monalea,
I love your stories. You are such a wonderful christian lady and caring mother with a great since of humor and love for God. You have raised some awesome kids. Keep up the good work.

Neva said...

What a great story, Monalea!!
The realization of what a nail can do is amazing but not as amazing as the sacrifice that made us whole.
Good post
peace
neva

Anonymous said...

Hi I don't venture into blog world very often but was pleased to see your page. The family photo looks great and stimulated many good memories

God bless you always

ned

Monalea said...

Sharron,
Thanks I really do love writing. Also, may children are wonderful, 'when they are sleeping.' Thank you, for your sweet words.

Neva,
How could anyone ever have a bad day with the realization of such an amazing Sacrifice.

Nate,
I know you don't venture out into the blog world very often, so I feel honored that you stopped by mine.

Anonymous said...

Monalea hasn't changed that much...really! She tried to burn our house down once while cooking fajitas. But this I can assure of, she has truly come to appreciate and love the nails of the cross. Love you sweetie.

TREY MORGAN said...

Hey girl ... how did you get Daryl out in to the blogging world.

I never have that luck.

I like your blog

Monalea said...

Daryl,
I'm sure everyone knows by now that I would never do something like 'burn down' anything. Ha! Thanks for your precious words.
Love you 2-3-6


Trey,
Daryl actually visits your blog and borrows from it quite a bit.

I noticed you are speaking kinder words to me, worried about what I might say about you in the future???? Ha!

Anonymous said...

Great post, Monalea. The comic at the end made me laugh so hard!! I can see any of my kids thinking the same thing. I yell "WHAT do you think you're DOING?" about 6 times a day. (One time I yelled at -- well, spoke sternly to -- my kids in the restaurant where I work because they were climbing on something they shouldn't. I found out later that my boss heard me and he said he was scared of my "mommy voice!"

Monalea said...

Lisa,
The 'mommy voice' is a great gift from God. I can't even begain to tell you how many times I've said the same thing using my 'mommy voice'.

preacherman said...

Monalea,
I love this post.
I has touched my heart.
Thank you for sharing with us this wonderful story. I hope you have a blessed week!
In Him,
Kinney Mabry