Brace-Face

And yet again God is asking me to live openly and honestly!
You would think I would be used to it by now, but just when I think I am doing something for me, and me alone…..BAM! God asks me to share it with the world!

So here we go (again) …..
This week I did something I never thought I would do, I got braces.

Yes, you did read that right, I got braces! On my teeth. Just like a teenager, except I am not a teenager, I am a 48-year-old woman! So what would possess me to do this?

Let me fill you in on how this all happened…..
I have never liked my teeth. They aren’t super crooked but they are not super straight either and I have always been conscious of how they overlap and how my smile has always been a little crooked.
If they had been incredibly bad I know my parents would have got me braces when I was a teenager, my 3 siblings all had braces but my teeth weren’t bad enough to warrant the huge expense. I completely understood and never held it against my parents.

But throughout the years they came to my mind regularly and I often complained to God about them.

Fast forward to Feb this year and I was in Raglan hanging out with God. I was sitting on the beach and I was telling Him all the things I don’t like about myself (I hate to say, it was a long list) but it was/is part of my healing process so it’s all okay.

As I was listing off all the things I didn’t like, I said how I didn’t like my teeth, and as clear as anything, I heard God say “So get them fixed.”
“Wait, what? What did you say?”
And He said it again “Get them fixed! There are things that we will work on that isn’t such an easy fix, but your teeth, that’s easy, get braces if you really want them straighter. Let’s fix them and then we can work on other more important things that will take a bit more time and energy.”

Wow! I was so blown away. As much as I had complained over the years, I had never actually thought about doing anything about it! But as God said, really, it’s a simple fix, so fix it!

I went home and talked to Phil and told him what God has said. To be honest, he was a bit shocked as I had never really talked to him about my teeth before, it was more like a wee complaint between me and God. But Phil was great and said if God said to do it, then do it!

That’s all well and great, but braces are not cheap and it’s not like we had been saving for them, this was kinda out of the blue! As I made appointments and talked to Orthodontists I got so disheartened at the price of braces and began wondering if I had heard right from God.
But I was like if God says it’s okay, He will provide a way! And so I gave it to Him in prayer, and what do you know? He came up with an answer that I had never considered at a price we could afford! (that’s another story of a miracle for another day!) Don’t you just love how God does that?

Anyway, to cut a long story short, this week I got clear aligners. They are a form of braces but aren’t metal. They are way more discreet but no less painful! Most people have not even noticed that I am wearing them, and I love that because, at my age, it’s not the first thing I want people to notice about me! It still feels a bit silly to have braces at my age, but I love that God cares about what we care about, no matter how silly it may seem to other people. And I know for me, this journey is way more than just getting straight teeth!

I feel like a teenager this week, complaining of sore teeth, cut gums, and an aching mouth! And I am dribbling…whats with that? I am not quite sure what I was thinking, but I did not think they would hurt this much! But when we make a decision to fix ourselves, no one said it would be easy right? Of course it’s going to hurt, all the teeth in my mouth are moving!!!

So I have these aligners on for the next 9 months and as painful as they are at the moment, I am excited at the end result. But to be honest, it’s not the look that I am excited about, it is the freedom my straight teeth will give me when I don’t need to complain about them anymore! And I promise I will post progress photos along the way!