God's plan must be something like braces.

The other day in AP Chem, Jaime turned around to me and said, "Christina, you're teeth have gotten so much straighter!" I hadn't really thought about it then, but when I realized what that meant, it made me really happy. Those braces were working!

I guess when you're the one with metal wires stuck in between your teeth, you sort of begin to forget the whole purpose of them being there- well, I guess you understand what they're doing but you don't always appreciate or realize how much progess they're making.

The whole point of braces is to straighten your teeth... basically give you that all-wanted amazing smile. But it's not a one-step kind of thing. You have to go in for checkups and you have to keep adjusting and tightening them. Time after time, repeatedly. It gets to be a pain in the butt (especially at the stage when your teeth are shifting and it hurts for you eat). But of course, at the end, it's all worth it. You take those clunky things off your teeth and wahlah- there it is! Those pearly straight teeth you've been awaiting (:

I think. . . God's plan must be something like braces.

We go through life asking- "What is the purpose of this?" "Why is this happening?" And even for those us who say "Everything happens for a reason," "This is the way it's suppose to be," we still don't really get it. We're worried.

I remember being teased a lot about my front teeth before I got braces >___<" They were pretty ugly! Very crooked- After I got braces the teeth started moving almost immediately. At the beginning it wasn't a significant change, but when I compare them to now, I must admit, it's pretty amazing!

If someone were to give me the chance to erase a memory, a few weeks ago I may have taken up the offer. But today, I think I would decline. When I look back on those really tough moments, I smile. The funny thing is, at that time they seemed so difficult yet somehow, I managed to come out alright.

Every experience makes us who we are. And I think God's plan has that in mind. He challenges us and uses obstacles to make us stronger. Sometimes it hurts but He knows what He's doing. His plan. His time. His plan is like braces. Little by little he uses people and events to change us into who we are suppose to be.

As people I think its hard for us to accept things we have no control of- it's hard for us to wait- it's hard for us to trust. So as Jaime reminded me of how straight my teeth had gotten, maybe all of us just need a reminder to take a step back and look at how far we've come.