Jagged Edges

It's a good thing we don't remember teething. Those sharp, jagged edges of hard enamel pushing through soft, tender gums... it's no wonder that Anneka is as miserable as she is... Although when she has been grumpy all morning and crying all afternoon as she was today, my patience (and sanity) wears a little thin... there's only so much Advil you can safely give a child.

But the end of my patience gets a new beginning when I recall how sharp those little teeth are when they chomp down on my unsuspecting finger as I try to pry whatever it is she put in her mouth out of it. I can't imagine what it feels like when they exert constant pressure on a sensitive area...

But this pain is all part of growing... what would life be like without teeth? I did for a moment and it wasn't pretty.

My devotional today was about life's jagged edges - how God uses suffering and sorrow to refine us and define us. How we grow by going through a period of constant pressure on a sensitive area - our soul, our spirit.

We come through those experiences not unscathed, but hopefully not unchanged. Perhaps a little wiser, with a little more faith or a little nearer to the Father.

And hopefully we become a little more sensitive and patient with those who come to us for help dealing with the painful, jagged edges of their lives.