Life is Like a Pair of Pantyhose

Life Is Like A Pair Of Pantyhose

© 2004 by Phyllis D. Jolliff

I was getting ready for church one Sunday morning, putting on my pantyhose, when I snagged them with my toenail.  Now, as most women know, this can happen easily and often.  No matter how hard we try, it is near impossible to put on a pair of pantyhose, let alone wear them for any amount of time, without snagging them.

Then I started thinking...  That’s just like life!  We have many “snags” in our lives.  They can be something as traumatic as losing a loved one, being violated in some manner, or having severe health problems.  Or...they can be as simple as things not going our way. 

Every day of our lives, we face “snags.”  Our husbands may be irritating, our kids annoying and disobedient, our co-workers uncooperative.  Someone may cut us off in traffic, the waitress may get our order wrong, the store runs out of our favorite coffee, or the vending machine steals our money.  Snags.  They are found around every corner.

But what does the Bible say about "snags?"  In John 16:33b, Jesus puts it like this, "In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world."  He doesn't say we "might" have trouble, or we "could" have trouble.  He says with certainty that we WILL have trouble.  But Jesus tells us to "take heart" because He is there, and HE has overcome the world!

Ever try to hide a snag in your pantyhose?  Not easy, is it?  Especially those big ones.  None of them can be totally ignored, because if we don't take some action in repairing them with clear nail polish, those small snags will turn into big ones...and possibly even a major run.  So it is with our lives.  Those small "snags," left unattended in our hearts and minds, can grow into bitterness and anger...leading us toward sin.  So what do we do?  We can't exactly repair our life-snags with clear nail polish!  But we have something so much greater than that!  We have the blood of Jesus!  His blood works as that “polish” to cover our “snags” and keep them from running deeper.  The “snag” may still be visible, but Jesus has covered it...and us...so we can live through it and with it to be a witness to those around us.

We can't walk around in fear of "snags."  We would never move!  I find, balance-challenged person that I am, that my pantyhose sometimes seem to snag on thin air.  And so does my life.  I’m constantly finding things that challenge my life and my walk with God.  But if I walk in fear of "snags," I'll never get anywhere.

Just like we can't change our snagged pantyhose in the middle of our day, we have to live with the life God gave us...snags and all.  Yes, we all have "snags" in our lives, but Jesus is always there with His blood to "repair" those "snags" and help us move forward.  We have to choose what we will do with those "snags."  We can try to hide them and pretend they're not there, or we can learn from them, ask Jesus to cover them with His blood, and use them to help others.  What will you do with your "snags?"