three years and one month ago exactly, i sat in an orthodontist's chair while my ortho and his nurse put braces on me. i was nervous, scared, and less-than-thrilled. there i sat, a 21 year old with more than braces on my mind. my heart was still bruised from poor choices that i had made nearly a year before. i remember feeling overwhelmed with sadness, and getting braces at that time was not helping.
i've often wondered about the timing of my braces. had it happened any earlier, i wouldn't give them another thought, had it happened any later, i would have refused to allow God to heal me. funny then, that he used something i was not crazy about to teach me a few life lessons.
i had my braces on for 3 years. that's 3 birthdays, 3 christmases, 3 thanksgivings, 3 of everything. and to be completely honest, having braces was painful. my teeth were sore, i couldn't eat, my jaw hurt, the list went on and on. admittedly, i have a very low tolerance for pain (which makes giving birth a scary thought for me...good thing i don't have to think about it for a while). but within a month of getting the braces put on, i had oral surgery to have 8 teeth taken out. i lost 10 pounds within the first 2 months of my braces. as much as i want to lose weight now, i'm not going that route again.
likewise, these past 3 years are not what i would call the best 3 years of my life. things didn't happen the way i planned them. God obviously didn't like my ideas. but in the process of having braces, God taught me something more valuable: anything good that happens comes with a side (or a stinkin' main dish) of pain...also known as growth. there are some great things that happened as a result of these past 3 years-namely pauline, bekah, erin, sarah, and mindy. had life continued the way that it was going, i wouldn't know these girls. we wouldn't be friends. pauline wouldn't be urging me to "spend quality time with Jesus" (more on that later). instead i would be wrapped up in my own world, too self-involved to care about the needs of others. these girls taught me to never give up on someone, because when i felt like i was drowning in the joy that is student teaching, they kept up with me. they called me, encouraged me, convinced me that i needed to play and not just work all the time. mindy made me feel loved when she told me about her dream. knowing that i was nervous about my oral surgery (wouldn't you be nervous about parting with eight teeth?), she dreamt that she went through the same surgery at the same time that i did so that i wouldn't have to go through it alone. she later told me, "i know i can't be there with you, but i'm praying for you." there's just something so wonderful about your friends praying for you.
three years and month later, i sat in the orthodontist's chair yet again, this time to get the braces off. as dr. k was working on shaping and polishing my teeth, i thought about the past three years. no, they were not fun. yes, they hurt. but no, i wouldn't trade them for anything. mostly because i can't (hey, why wish for something you can't have?) but because God used them to shape me into the person i am now. i'm not polished, not by any means, but God's still working on me.
this is where i burst into song: he's still working on me, to make me what i ought to be-well you know the rest...
God used the process of braces to teach me that life hurts. situations stink. people are unkind and unfair. those you love will let you down. but God doesn't wastes those hurts. he uses them to bring good situations out of bad ones. he makes something beautiful out of something ugly. and my sore teeth-albeit straight, sore teeth-are good reminders of the past three years. i don't want to lose what i learned about God's faithfulness and provision.
fortunately i have the retainers for life. oh yes.
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