Pierced! Part One: How Did I Get Here?

It’s been 10 days since I had my nose pierced.  I know some people were surprised that I would do it… hey, I even surprised myself!  I am 44, after all!  Am I having a mid-life crisis?  Have I left the faith?  Am I becoming worldly?  I think the answer is No to all of the above. 

Sean wanted this here... smh 😉

All my pictures are flipped, so the piercing is actually on my right, not my left.

While I am not a stranger to piercings (I have two in each ear and even once had a navel piercing), a nose piercing wasn’t something that I had “always wanted to do”.  In fact, years ago, I would have cast some negative judgment when I saw a woman with her nose pierced.  The Lord has forgiven me… I thank Him for growth.  Now, here I am with MY nose pierced.  Anyway, fast forward to what brought me to this place.

I had been seeing more women with nose piercings and my reasoning for wanting one was simply… drumroll please… that I thought they were pretty.  Probably, the fact that Sean had agreed to let me do it was what most surprised people.  The conversation went something like this:

Me:  Hey Hon, I think I want to get my nose pierced.  What do you think?

Sean:  I think, No.

Me:  I’m not talking about wearing anything big, just something small and subtle like {had to drop the names of some respected nose-pierced friends} wear.

Sean:  Okay, then go ahead.

See, that didn’t take long! 

Next, came about a week’s worth of prayer and research.  I read many articles and watched a number of Youtube videos, even the ones of people getting theirs pierced.  Yeah, that was enough to make me want to run the other way, but I soldiered on. 

I know some godly women who look lovely with their nose piercings.  Before taking the plunge, I consulted with two such lovely ladies, asking them questions about their experiences – how long have you had them, why did you get one, how do you care for it, what do you do when you have to blow your nose…. all the important stuff.  Thank you, A & D!  ~In Christ, Talya

Next:  Pierced!  Part Two:  So, Then What?

Pierced! Part Two: So, Then What?

I read reviews of all the local piercing establishments and settled on the place that had the highest ratings, Sadu Body Modifications.  One neat thing is that they ONLY do piercings, so they should really know what they’re doing. 

Looks like a place of horrors, really! 

Sean took me to get it done.  The building looked a little, uh, unique on the outside, but it was clean, though dimly lit, on the inside.  At that point, Sean was more enthusiastic than me, wanting me to get a larger, red or green jewel.  But, hey, I have to keep it in for at least the next 6 months without changing it, so I needed a more neutral color!  I settled on a small (still a little larger than I originally wanted) champagne-colored jewel.  The metal is titanium. 

I was the only customer there, so once the “master piercer” arrived and sterilized my jewelry, I was led into what looked like a small, very bright, doctor’s exam room.  My piercer, Dianna, was friendly and professional.  She put a dot on my nose to see if the placement was how I wanted it, then she had me lie on the exam table.  You know that paper stuff dentists clip around you as a sort of “bib” when you get a cleaning?  Dianna poked a hole in a piece of that “paper” and fit it over my nose so that my nose was exposed for her to see, but the rest of my face was covered.  I felt her manipulating my nose, then she told me I would feel a small pinch, then a harder one.  I don’t think she counted down or anything, but she did tell me to take a deep breath and let it out.

Next thing I knew, it felt like my right nostril was being squeezed with pliers by a very, very strong man for three seconds.  In reality, Dianna placed a clip on my nostril then stuck a needle though the holes in the clip and through my nostril.  She removed the clip, leaving the needle stuck there while she gathered the jewelry.  Surprisingly, the pain only lasted the three seconds it took her to get the needle through.  After she placed the jewelry, my nose was sore, but just barely.

Since then, I’ve been cleaning the piercing with saline twice per day and trying not to touch it or get it bumped or snagged by anything or anyone.  Apparently, it is easy for these piercings to become inflamed, often creating a little bump near the piercing site.  At this moment, my piercing is not sore at all, but I am to keep up the cleaning and hands-off regimen for the next 6 months.  I wish I knew all this stuff when I had my navel piercing.  Maybe I would have cared for it better and kept it longer. 

All my pictures are flipped, so the piercing is actually on my right, not my left.

I like my piercing.  At ten days in, I don’t regret getting it done.  I have received a positive response to the piercing from family and friends.  Perhaps, those who disapprove have chosen to remain silent or haven’t said anything yet – I respect that.  ~In Christ, Talya

Next:  Pierced!  Part Three:  You're a Christian, Right?

Pierced! Part Three: You're a Christian, Right?

What about God’s Word?  While I do not believe there to be an express prohibition on all tattoos or body piercings, I consider it a matter of conscience to be taken prayerfully before the Lord.  One’s heart’s motive for doing anything is critically important.  We should do all things for the glory of the Lord (1 Corinthians 10:31). 

Further, I had to consider whether I was seeking to exalt my outer adornment as cautioned against in 1 Peter 3:3-4.  To that end, I purposely chose a small nose stud.  From a short distance, you can’t see it, and apparently, some people don’t even notice it when I am standing two feet away from them!  LOL!  This article, "What does the Bible say about nose rings/getting a nose ring?", was helpful.  

Do I see my piercing as a gateway into a mission field?  No more than anything else.  If the Lord chooses to use it, perhaps to strike up a conversation to share what He has done in my life, then I hope to be submitted and respond obediently.  In the same way, I don’t see long hair, short hair, or my two sets of ear piercings as serving a distinct purpose of evangelism. 

I hope this three-part series gave insight into my new nose piercing.  I am a newbie, but if you have any questions about the early days of a nose piercing, comment below or message me and I can share what I’ve experienced.  ~In Christ, Talya

All my pictures are flipped, so the piercing is actually on my right, not my left.

On the Road Again: Aren't Five Children Enough?

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If we are blessed to adopt again, this child or children will bring the number of children in our home to six or more.  Frankly, we do not have have a set number of children we feel we should have in our family.  We are allowing the Lord to determine that.  There is no guarantee that we will adopt successfully again, so the Lord could certainly close the door, telling us that our five earthly blessings (in addition to our four babies in heaven) are enough.  We are prayerful either way.

Psalm 127:3-5 says that "children are a heritage from the Lord" -- "a reward", "like arrows".  A man is blessed whose quiver is full of these "arrows".  I don't know about you, but we are grateful for any gift the Lord deems a reward, including children.

If we were still able to have children biologically, we would have desired and been open to any number of blessings directly from my womb as much as we are open to children through adoption.  We had decided that early on in our marriage.  So our desire to adopt another child is not a far stretch for us.  Honestly, it's a supernatural work of the Lord because I have never had dreams of a house full of children.  I didn't like babysitting.  I do not scramble to hold other people's babies.  I am by no means a "kid magnet".

So, the short answer to the question, "Aren't five children enough?", is that we have no idea -- it's whatever the Lord decides.  If we believe the Lord is prompting us to direct our support to other families' adoptions rather than our own, then that's what we'll do.  If we feel the Lord is telling us to direct our energies elsewhere we will do so.  If a birth mother does not choose us, then we cannot adopt through that means.  The Lord may have us wait a few more years, and welcome another older child into our home.  He may bless us with twins -- who knows?  We are trying to be open, ready, and willing for whatever He has in store for us.  ~In Christ, Talya

On the Road Again: WHY? Just WHY?

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No, I don't mean some fantastic road trip across country, seeing the sights... though that would be really fun.  As I posted on Facebook last week, we're on the road to adoption once again.  Yes, we are hoping to welcome a third...or fourth..or... child into our family via adoption.

You may have a few questions:  Aren't five children enough?  Aren't you and Sean, uh, getting up there in age?  Will it be another baby or an older child?  Don't you ever look forward to having an empty nest?  WHY?  Just WHY?

I'll start with the last question first then answer the others in upcoming posts.

We do this because we believe we are called to walk out God's command to care for the fatherless in this way (James 1:27).  So many scripture passages give testimony to God's love for the orphan (Psalm 68:5; Job 29:12; Psalm 10:14).  However, while not everyone is called to adopt, we are all called to care for the fatherless, and this is our way of doing that.  We desire to open our hearts and our home to a child who needs the love and security of a forever family.  We want to share the Gospel with a child, so that he or she will one day come to faith in Christ and share that faith with others, including his/her birth family.

SO MANY children are in need of Christian families to love and care for them.  SO MANY.  Seriously.  In this country alone, over 100,000 children in foster care are freed for adoption, awaiting their forever family (https://www.adoptuskids.org/meet-the-children/children-in-foster-care/about-the-children).  These children are free, meaning the birth parents' parental rights have already been terminated.  Some wait and wait and wait and eventually age out of foster care, left without the intimate support system of a family that many of us take for granted.

On the other hand, each year over 18,000 infants are found adoptive homes through private domestic infant adoption programs (https://www.adoptivefamilies.com/how-to-adopt/domestic-adoption-myths-and-truths/).  Even so, there is still a need for adoptive parents, specifically Black couples, who are willing to throw their hats in the ring.  Too often, Black birthmothers who seek Black parents for their child are unable to choose a Black family because the agency does not have any on their list of waiting families.  We hope to fill some of that void even if it's just in one agency.

Maybe the Lord is calling you to do the same.  Please prayerfully consider it.  The Lord uses us as His hands and feet in this broken world.  The children need you!  ~In Christ, Talya

COMING SOON:  Aren't Five Children Enough?