Of Milk Duds and Divine Providence

Milk Duds. But of course you already knew that.

Yesterday afternoon, I was munching on some Milk Duds. As often is my wont, for I am quite fond of their chocolate and caramel goodness.

Unfortunately, I bit down on one too hard, or just the wrong spot, as it pulled off one of my crowns. It didn’t hurt too much, but I knew I was going to have to get this fixed sooner rather than later.

So, I washed off the crown, left my boss a note saying I would be taking today off as opposed to this Friday as I had originally planned, and this morning called my dentist to see if he had any time to fix my crown. Which, thankfully, he did this afternoon. It’s fine.

The reason I’m mentioning this fairly insignificant slice of life is something that happened this morning. I was actively doing not much of anything when the phone rang. It was the man who had handled my Mom’s financial affairs in Indiana, calling me to confirm various details and outline the manner in which things would be proceeding.

I probably could have handled the phone call at work, since he reached me on my cell phone. However, the thought of trying to get enough privacy, or silence, in my office to actually process the information he was providing me… uh, yeah. Most unlikely to transpire in any way, shape or form.

Thinking about this made me smile, even in the midst of having a moment where the loss cut deep. God used Milk Duds to make me available for the phone call. Coincidence? Perhaps. But not really. I don’t believe in coincidence. I believe in Jesus Christ. Being free for the phone call today helped make an extraordinarily painful part of my life not necessarily easier to deal with, but at least a little clearer in terms of the legal and financial aspects.

God spoke to Baalam through the jawbone of an ass. So why can’t He speak to me through pulling a crown off a tooth connected to the jawbone… um, mind if I stop there?