Braces

We are entering that stage of life now. All four of our kids have been in to see the orthodontist since we moved and all four will need braces of some sort eventually. One boy is already in full braces and the other one has an expander in to get his mouth ready for braces in the next few months. What an adventure! At first they were all excited about it, but it doesn’t take long with a mouth full of metal to realize that they look much cooler than they feel. One night the boys were lamenting about the discomfort of this new quest and I noticed my older daughter was suddenly silent and withdrawn. As we talked about what was wrong she opened up that she was afraid to get braces and didn’t want to ever have to do it. Even though her adventure is still 11 baby teeth away, the fear of the unknown was very real for her that night. I held her and reassured her of a life principle I have come to have great faith in—the unknown future is always a little scary, but when the time comes to cross that bridge God is always with us and we will have what it takes to make it through. She was comforted and hopped off to bed.

Not more than an hour or two later I was getting ready for bed and contemplating the upcoming birth of baby number five. Suddenly that same anxiety seized me that I had seen in my daughter. I was worried about all the things that could go wrong. I was worried about the big adjustment to having a baby again who will need so much from me. It was a waterfall of fear. Then the sweet peace of truth came to me and I could hear the Lord speaking to my heart the exact same message I had just shared with my daughter. “Yes, unexpected things may happen, and yes, it will be an adjustment, but I will be with you and you will have what it takes to make it through.” That brought peace.

I was touched by the universal nature of the human experience. Though our ages and life circumstances are different, my daughter and I needed the same life lesson and reassurance. It was powerful to me that I had been the one to share it with her, and in so doing had prepared my own heart to receive the same message. I think HOME has a lot to do with learning and teaching and supporting and loving each other with the knowledge that we are all on the same path and have many of the same needs. I am not a parent because I have mastered the life lessons. I am just the parent because I started first. Somehow my parenting of my children is a continuation of my own development, as theirs will someday be. I am there to brace them up when they need it, they are there to brace me up, and the Lord is there to brace us all up all along the way. It’s such a blessing to be in it together.