I sink gingerly into the cold orthodontist’s chair, my body tense with anticipation. Staring at my folded arms and trying to keep my knees from bouncing, I shiver at the sound of drills and drains in the other room. My room is silent except for the wind shaking the trees outside the window. Different thoughts circulate in my mind, “I hope this doesn’t hurt. This should have been my choice! I’d rather have crooked teeth than these ridiculous metal brackets. I wonder if this will hurt…”
The clicking of the orthodontist’s shoes in the hallway near my room and he enters smiling, his perfect, straight teeth glinting in the fluorescent light. We engage in small talk as he moves around the room, gathering his supplies. Drawers slam shut and the clatter of the orthodontic tools on the tray startles me. My chair is slowly reclined and I am handed glasses as a light shines on my face. I taste plastic, chalky substances, and metal. The stainless steel grinds on my teeth as Dr. Raj glues each bracket in its place. Flinching and clutching the handles of the chair, I labor to keep still. The suction of my spit through the hose in my mouth whirs and whistles as I nearly gag.
After what feels like hours, my chair is returned to its original position and I am staring at the dancing trees again. I can’t feel my teeth and my cheeks and jaw are sore, but a run over with my tongue tells me I am now a brace face. Mom comes back and pitifully grins at me, asking if I’d like a milkshake to ease the pain when we get home. I nod, resisting the urge to glare. That did hurt.
“You will thank us one day,” my mother reminds me, but the likelihood of that is small in the moment.
For years I would wear those braces, resenting my parents' decision, but the moment the braces were taken off, I thanked my parents over and over again for my beautiful smile. This experience reminds me of the trials that come our way in life. James 1:2-4 says, “Consider it pure joy my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” Like the painful experience of braces, which shape teeth and make smiles beautiful and straight, trials are hard experiences that shape us and make us whole Christians, not lacking in anything. In the end, we will thank God for the chance to grow and change as well.
