Nail As My Witness

 As youth leaders we strongly believe that it is very important for the youth to see God’s presence and influence in their daily life.  In Mathew 6:33 we learn the more we seek, the more we find, the more we find the more God reveals Himself to us.  After numerous attempts to promote this concept, God laid on my heart to have the youth paint their pinky nail black.  As the day went by, each time they saw their black nail they were to acknowledge God in prayer or praise. How they did this was up to them.  In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17 we are told to “Rejoice always; Pray without ceasing”. It could be as quick and simple as praying to themselves, ”God is Good”, “Thank you Jesus”, or as long as they felt lead to pray.   To our surprise and in a way only God could orchestrate, it became a means to which the youth could share the Truth of Jesus Christ with their friends and fellow students.  As you might expect the single black painted nail drew much attention and the questions followed.  These questions gave the youth the opportunities they never had before to share Christ with their friends.  Within a few weeks of painting the nails of our youth, they began to share and paint the nails of their friends, and it spread from there.  A short time later God laid it on my heart to take this simple, but profound message to churches, youth groups, and youth rallies in the area.  Which leads us to where we are today.