Even a Tooth

When I look back over my life, I can't help but wonder at all the times I've received just the right thing at just the right time. Like the time Clint and I were looking at our stove and thinking it had to be at least twenty years old (or older...it came with the house when we bought it thirteen years ago), thinking we should start setting aside money to replace it, and then Dad texted and asked us whether we needed a practically-new (free) stove because his friend just wanted to get rid of it. And it's beautiful and works so well. Blessings like this, both big and small, fall into our days time and again. And let's not forget the blessings we don't even know about, right? Like the time we leave the house later than expected and thus avoid hitting the deer that crossed the road two minutes ago. Stuff like that.
And of course, we have done nothing to earn or deserve these blessings. We just live, thanking God and praising Him for the way He works in our lives. (And that's grace, isn't it?)
Well, we saw grace in action a few days ago. It started like this:
We were spending some time with the extended family the day after Lauren's wedding, just hanging out in and out of the pool, sitting around and swapping stories, eating leftovers from the wedding. You know. Family time. Good time. Important time.
And as we were driving home, Jared mentioned that he thought he had chipped a tooth while "wrestling" with his older cousin. I told him that he probably didn't chip it. It was probably just a sharp spot. No, he said, he had spit out a piece of tooth in his hand.
How hard did he hit you, I asked.
I can't remember getting hit at all, he said. And we weren't even really wrestling. Just, you know.
We figured it wasn't a big deal. It was probably a baby tooth that would come out soon anyway.
When we got home, he pointed out the tooth. I couldn't see anything. We checked online to see whether he would indeed lose his third molar back, soon learning that this one was an adult tooth. A little niggling worry set in, but nothing much. I still figured it couldn't be that bad.
And we began to pack for a week's vacation in northern Michigan. As we packed, I resolved to call the dentist from the road first thing Monday morning, just to feel safe.
When I called, the dentist asked about sensitivity or pain; Jared reported none. They said it should be fine, then.
But that night, when we looked more closely in his mouth with a flashlight and zoomed-in phone camera, we could see a pretty sizable hole in his molar. Clint talked about caps and crowns and root canals. That niggling worry grew.
I called the dentist back the next day and asked for their earliest appointment for the following week. She had an opening early Monday morning.
Still, Jared had no pain, no sensitivity. He promised to keep his tooth extra clean (he's conscientious like that) and didn't seem worried at all.
The vacation was a blessing, a time of rest and family time and great adventure. He never complained about his tooth, and I stopped worrying.
When we got home, I reminded him of his dentist appointment and had to pry him out of bed hours before he usually gets up in the summer. Rubbing sleep from his eyes, we walked into the dentist's office, where we were the first patients of the day.
They called him back and I sat alone for several minutes. Then, his dentist came back to see me, a smile on her face. She said there had been the beginning of a cavity in that tooth--in that spot--that they'd been keeping an eye on, and that part of his tooth had a weak spot, and he must have been "hit" (if he even was...maybe he was just clenching his teeth) at just the right spot, and it just cracked. But it wasn't a deep hole, and it could be fixed with a simple filling.
Oh, I said, what good news. Can I set up an appointment for the filling today?
No need, she said, my next patient hasn't shown up yet. I can do it right now. It won't take long.
And it didn't. Within half an hour, Jared was back in the waiting room with me, tooth fixed.
The dentist said he had done a remarkable job keeping it clean in the eight days since it cracked; that had kept infection from setting in, which made her repair a very simple one.
God is good, people. Even in small things, His care is evident. I am thankful for this reminder to praise Him in all things.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:6-7)