We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. (Proverbs 16:9)

With a busy day planned, it surprised me to feel a prompt to book in an eyelash tint. It was illogical. I had no time in my day, an appointment to fit would be highly unlikely, and I have an eyelash tint maybe once a year if I’m lucky (prior to Christmas so I don’t have to worry too much about makeup, etc). For the rest of the year, I don’t worry, so it surprised me when God nudged me to make an appointment.

I briefly caught up with a beautiful Christian friend in the morning. She had been a beautician in the past. I mentioned the God prompting, and she encouraged me to make an appointment. She then told me some hilarious stories about eyebrows, tinting and waxing that left us both laughing out loud…

With hurried goodbyes, I went to the supermarket, hoping for a quick run through. Items in trolley, I looked up to see a check out completely clear of people- a miracle for the time of morning.

I headed over, said ‘hello’ and started loading up the conveyor belt. Making small talk, I felt the familiar nudge to pray for the girl. She was young, so I asked her how she found working at the supermarket.

She responded by saying she wanted to study. She explained she was a qualified beautician, and she wanted to further her study at an elite beauty school. I recognised the name of the school, having spoken to other beauticians over the years about their dreams and goals. I acknowledged I had heard of the place and said it was quite a prestigious place. She agreed. With that, I offered to pray for her and her dream.

I briefly introduced myself, and she happily gave me her hand. I prayed for her future, for her to have favour regarding her studies, for dreams fulfilled. As I prayed, I felt she was also currently looking for work as a beautician. Now, this might seem obvious, given she was a qualified beautician working at a supermarket checkout, but it wasn’t immediately obvious to me. Many young people work part time to support their studies.

With another nudge, I asked her if she was currently looking for a job in the beauty industry. She was, so I prayed for favour with her search, for that the perfect job and as I left the store, I encouraged her that the job would come quickly, much more quickly than she thought.

Finally home, I remembered I was to make a booking at a particular local waxing place for an eyelash tint. I tried to logic it away. There was simply no way I could get an appointment with the right girl in the next two hours (which was the time frame I had before I collected a child from school). So, with such a small window of time that I had available, and given my schedule, I knew that there would be no chance of an appointment.

Are you getting the gist? I was using logic to step out of obedience. Our family calls it ‘logicing’ ourselves out of ‘it,’ whatever ‘it’ might be.

Using my logic to excuse not trying, and honestly, I couldn’t bother going, I felt a sudden strong conviction. With that, I picked up the phone and called. Ironically, the girl I needed answered the phone. Within 2 minutes, I had the perfect appointment! Go figure! Go God!!

At the appointment, I made the usual small talk. The young woman and I chatted, and she shared how she loved eyelash extensions. She then shared that, as a child, she had compulsively pulled her eyelashes out, so although she loved extensions, but she couldn’t wear them because, when she got them, she would pull at them until all her eyelashes came out. Her natural eyelashes came out with even greater ease because of the extensions, so in love, the person who usually put her extensions in refused to give her extensions at all, otherwise she would lose all her lashes.

I knew of this condition. Years before, I had researched the condition when one of my children, when young, had twisted their hair and pulled it out night after night. I had found wads of hair in their bed. I thought it might have been a stress response to what was happening at school. The condition is ‘alopecia.’

I have written about alopecia in other stories. For these, see links here and here.

I spoke with my child and let them know it could develop into a habit that could ultimately cause bald patches. The behaviour instantly stopped – undesired consequence understood. In comparison, this girl, now an adult, could not stop. She felt compelled (as she had as a child) to pull her eyelashes out.

I mentioned my child’s story. It surprised her I knew about the condition.

Appointment over, we made our way to the register. Chatting some more, I gently asked for her hand. As she gave it to me, I explained I was a Christian, and I was going to pray for her to be healed.

She smiled, saying ‘sure.’

She clearly thought it was a ‘nice’ thing for me to do. Most non-Christians have no problem with us praying for them. Most think it’s a kind offer; however, she expected nothing to come of it. This was fine by me. I couldn’t heal her if I tried, but my God could!

I smiled back and asked the Holy Spirit to come. Praying I broke the addiction and requested healing, finishing in Jesus’ name. As I prayed, I felt a rush of the Holy Spirit through me. I assume it went straight into her because as I prayed she looked a quite startled.

Jumping backwards in her chair, she said:

‘Oh my gosh, oh, I just felt tingly all over! Oh my gosh, that was so weird! I am so tingly!’

I smiled again and said that the tingly feeling was the Holy Spirit. I then explained it was definitely not me, but God, and that she could ask for more throughout the day and He would come to her again and again.

She looked at me with enormous eyes and said, ‘oh my gosh… oh… thank you so much… oh wow!’

It was only later that day that I realised the coincidence, and coincidence is the language of the Spirit.

Three appointments; three beauticians.

God has a sense of humour and He could not have set me up any more thoroughly to show me I was on His timeframe, in the centre of His will, regardless of what I felt.

It was a trio of beauticians encountering the Trio of Love:

Father,

Son and

Holy Spirit

Heaven’s community, reaching and loving my community through me. The ease was tangible, the joy palpable, and the love undeniable. I knew then, as I know now, that God is always on the move. The Trinity Beautiful always wants to reach out to love on people wherever we go!

We are the conduit; He is the loving power.

God adores seeing people step into their destinies; Jesus is ever present to encourage and love; and, Holy Spirit is always ready to show them, through experience, that all three are real.

The Trio of Love reconciled to us through Jesus Christ purely and simply because…

God is Good!

©Beth Kennedy 2021

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