LIFE-CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES!!

“My faith helps me understand that circumstances don’t dictate my happiness, my inner peace.” Denzel Washington

These past few months COULD have been an embarrassing experience for me, but, it wasn’t.  I’ve wanted to share this story for weeks, but couldn’t. I had to see how and why GOD was moving.  I had to wait until HIS work was complete…..And now it is. So here it goes…..On Friday, April 9th, while eating dinner, my front teeth crown broke. Chile, YES!!!  While chomping into a piece of corn on the cob, I heard a crunch and my broken crown came tumbling out. Luckily, I was almost finished with the meal and had saved the corn to the end. Ironically, when the crown broke, I didn’t freak out.  Instead, an overwhelming sense of peace came over me and I immediately entered into praise mode.  I KNEW it would be worked out, I just didn’t know how or when. But, I KNEW.  It was as if GOD was saying “I GOT YOU!!”   And I KNEW HE DID.  I need to insert a disclaimer here because this post is a praise testimony about LIFE-CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES.   LIFE-CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES are events and occurrences that have an effect strong enough to change your life. Have you ever had one?  I’m sure you have…but did you see it as that……..LIFE-CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES? I HAVE!!!! My recent dental experience, was filled with LIFE-CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES.  So for this week’s blog, let’s talk SHIP about how GOD works through our LIFE-CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES!!!

Y’all know I am trying to take this blogging stuff seriously and was excited to participate in the free 10-day 10K Traffic Challenge class being offered by Pete and Heather Reese from Itsalovelylife.com in an effort to learn how to increase readerSHIP for my blog. I was on day 3 of the course-“Video for Bloggers” and after dinner, had planned to slap on some lipstick and make a video to promote my blog.  Well with missing teeth, you know that didn’t happen.  But, as I said, when my crown broke, I felt at peace. I knew my teeth would be repaired, I just didn’t know the particulars. Still, I felt grateful and immediately went into praise mode. I was grateful that I wasn’t placed in any embarrassing situation of having to speak publicly. I was grateful for having to wear face masks. I was grateful to be working from home and not having to interface with co-workers and clients. I was grateful that when I went out, only I knew I was missing teeth. Yes, ma’am, through these LIFE-CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES, I was truly grateful and continued to praise GOD. 

I was at the dentist office bright and early, Monday morning. He assessed the work and provided me with a rather expensive estimate but I needed my teeth and financially worked out the payment arrangements. When I told my BFF, she inquired if I was comfortable with their services especially since it was my front teeth AND so costly. I told her I was and proceeded with the dental work. Yet, as he prepared me for the impending crowns, her inquiry rang loudly in my head, and truth be told, I wasn’t totally happy with their services.   But even with doubt, I allowed the work to continue.  That is until I couldn’t anymore. The temporary bridge broke and since I’d thrown it away, I had to take an impression for a flipper. You know one of those pieces with a couple of teeth on them that you insert into the missing section by snapping it onto your existing teeth. A few days later when I picked it up the flipper, I was disappointed. They were bigger than my real teeth and looked so unnatural. They were ill-fitted and looked horrible. The construction of the flippers made me lose confidence in this dental office’s ability to replace my front teeth with a quality and professionally fitted crown. I knew then and there, I was unwilling to risk it and wanted nothing else to do with this dental office. But, now what? It’s Friday afternoon, where was I going to find a dentist to finish the work? I left that dental office pissed with my front teeth still missing and an ill-fitted flipper floating around in the bottom of my purse BUT I continued praising GOD, especially for mask-wearing. When I got home, I looked in the mirror and started praying because this dental situation was presenting some LIFE-CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES. LIFE-CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES, indeed!!          

The next morning, I woke up refreshed and determined to start sowing seeds.  I recalled an article that I’d read a few months ago about the LIFE-CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES that Tessica Brown, the woman that came to Los Angeles to have the Gorilla Glue removed from her hair had encountered. Toward the end of the article, it mentioned that she was also gifted a dental makeover by Dr. Tom Kalili of the Beverly Hills Dental Corporation.  I vividly recalled the article because my BFF and I discussed it.  We talked about how we didn’t know she needed dental work and how kind and how generous it was of the dentist to donate these services. Especially since my BFF and I, over the years have enjoyed too many sweets and as a result, are both in need of some dental work ourselves.  We expressed our happiness for Tessica but both desperately wanted her dental makeover ourselves.   As I sipped my coffee that Saturday morning, I googled the dentist’s name and sent an email. In the e-mail, I shared my LIFE-CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES and admitted that I was no longer comfortable with the previous dentist and desperately needed to have this issue resolved. I explained that I had read about what he had done for Ms. Brown and wanted to know if he was still offering that special.  I clicked send and had sown the seed. Even though I was hopeful, I knew Monday, either way, I needed to find a dentist.   Or would I?

First thing Monday morning, I received an email from Dr. Kalili’s office staff, Lisa, indicating that they no longer had the ” free special” but since I’d mentioned Ms. Brown’s experience, they would give me 50% off of any work and invited me to come in for a “free” consultation.  After exchanging several emails and talking on the phone, I made an appointment for the consultation the very next day . The moment I walked into his office, I KNEW Dr. Kalili would be making a significant impact on the LIFE-CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES involving my dental needs.  That same day, we developed a plan of action that was $4,000 cheaper than the other, and two days later, I was being prepped for my new teeth.  Because I was so uncomfortable and had lost confidence with the other dentist, GOD sent a caring, compassionate, empathetic, and skillful dentist like Dr. Kalili to restore both -my confidence and my smile. I was so joyful, I cried.  GOD is even making it possible and affordable for Dr. Kalili to fix and repair my remaining dental work so that they’ll match my new crowns.  I tell you, GOD worked through these LIFE-CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES.!!!!

Ironically, just as they dropped the state’s mask mandates, I received my new teeth and I love them. I can’t stop cheezing and am still in awe of how these occurrences worked themselves out. But, I saw GOD in action. GOD wanted to reassure me that even in the midst of a storm, HE can still work through LIFE-CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES. Mine was my teeth, but what’s yours? What is your LIFE-CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES? Is it starting over after an accident? Adapting to a change in your situation? Being unable to grieve a loved one? Guilt? Financial devastation? Ending a relationSHIP? It doesn’t matter. No matter what the LIFE-CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCE is, GOD can help. Just praise your way through it and keep trusting AND believing that GOD CAN and WILL work it out and HE WILL!! Your only responsibility is to get the blessings from the lessons. See, I know NOW that the overwhelming peace that I’d experienced when I first heard that crack while eating corn on the cob, was simply GOD’S ASSURANCE and REASSURANCE that HE WAS going to work it out and HE DID JUST THAT THROUGH a series of LIFE-CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES!!!!

Oh yeah!!  Even though it’s 6 weeks late, here is the video I made (with teeth) for the 10K Traffic Challenge class. I SMILED as I finally completed the assignment.

SHIP TALK: What LIFE-CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES are you dealing with? How are you responding to your circumstances? Are you getting the blessings from the lessons?

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