So Hard to Wait!

Bedtimes are crazy for the kids on Wednesday nights because we are at church until at least 9pm. By the time we get home, it is a chaotic tangle of toothbrushes, jammies, and potty trips. It is much later than our normal bedtime and after a crazy night filled with friends, emotions are kind of running high. After I tucked everyone in and turned out lights tonight, I sat on the couch and took a breath. Within minutes, I heard quiet sobs making a way down our stairs. Sam comes around the corner with tears flowing down his cute little cheeks. I called him over to my lap and cuddled him close. I asked him what was wrong, thinking someone had hurt his feelings or something along those lines. He looked up at me and said, "My loose tooth is NEVER going to fall out! I hate my strong gums, I don't want strong gums anymore!" More tears followed, it was not pretty. I hugged him close, making sure he did not see the smile on my face. Then a thought crossed my mind that I could use to turn this over-emotional moment into a teachable one. Under those gums, there is so much going on that we cannot see. The baby tooth will come out at exactly the right time for the big tooth to grow in its place. If it comes out before it is supposed to, it will cause the other teeth to shift. That will cause pain in years to come as they have to be moved back into place with braces. There is a perfect time. I have spent the last year trying to come to terms with the fact that God has got a lot of things going on that I cannot see. There were days I felt like crying out to Him. I felt like the unknown would never end. I had days that I thought if we didn't get news that very day, I just wanted to scream. God was working things in me that I had no idea was going on. He was teaching me to be content, to trust Him with our right now and step forward with faith. He was burning away some deep imperfections in me before He would give me what I wanted. Some days, it feels like that tooth will never fall out! But in just the right time, it will do exactly what God has designed it to do. I'm not sure that Sam really got it tonight, he just wants that tooth to fall out ALREADY! But maybe that little bit of wisdom will get tucked in his brain somewhere and help him someday when he has to wait for something bigger than a baby tooth :)