Numb Gums

Just recently I had gum surgery. For those of you who have experienced any form of mouth discomfort, I am sure you have had the privilege of experiencing numb gums. It’s a strange thing to describe. Your lips feel huge, you can talk but you drool without knowing it, and when you try to eat or drink …well it doesn’t happen smoothly. The interesting part about numb gums, it’s wonderful that you can’t feel the incisions. But, the process of getting there hurts! Those with experience, I am sure you can confirm that shots in the gums is quite possibly the worst shot you have ever received.

It’s funny as I go through the process of moving to China. I feel like at times I can totally relate my gum surgery experience to this. In the beginning there was a lot of anxiety with making my decision and actually obeying and following dads call to China, just as I was anxious about surgery. Then came the time I had to tell my family members, co-workers, and friends that I was going to be moving out of the country. The time I have to work daily in building a support team and learn to have boldness from the father to ask others to help me get to China. And let me tell you…. it may hurt more emotionally than those stupid mouth shots!

 Now I am resting in that numb stage. I feel like I should be feeling more pain and nervousness and should be freaking out about the fact I need a ton more support and need to start thinking about packing because we leave in around 3 weeks….but I am numb. I feel like I should be excited to do dad’s will and be pumped about a new life following him and ready to be smiling and yelling it to the world…but I am numb. It’s a weird feeling. I take in the spiritual food yet it is hard to chew, I try to express or talk what I feel but I end up drooling over my words.

I have decided this is not a bad place to be. I think Dad takes times that may be painful and helps relieve it at first so it is possible to withstand. However, soon that anesthesia wears off and reality hits. I am not totally sure when reality is going to sink in, but today was the first feeling of that numbness fading.

The encouraging thing about this odd relationship between gums and China is that at the end my gums healed and now are better than before. Knowing this, you and I can take comfort knowing that through those seemingly painful situations and recoveries Dad works out a better plan for our lives and healing even in the most craziest of times.