Let's say that for the past 8 months or so you've gone about your business and everyday living thinking that if anything happened you would have insurance to cover you if you needed anything, dental and vision INCLUDED. Well let's just say that 2 weeks ago you start to feel a little throbbing on the top left side of your mouth that would come and go. You think, "eh it's probably nothing, I'll just wait until after we get back from visiting family for Christmas and see how it is then." Well in the next couple days the pain just keeps getting worse and worse. You can't work out because with each step pounding to the ground you feel the pain stabbing through your gums. Ok so finally you say something to your husband about it and he tells you to start looking for a new dentist to go see. So I do.
Meanwhile, it's this time of year where we can evaluate our insurance plan and see if we want to change it to a different plan. Come to find out...dun, dun, dun...we didn't have dental or vision included in our plan! For some reason it got mixed up between Tyler and the HR rep way back in April when he started his new job and thankfully we haven't had any need for it so it went unnoticed. UNTIL of course I get a toothache but even though we caught the fact that we didn't have dental insurance a couple weeks ago.....it won't be effective until Jan. 1.
Also this month we decided to finally get back on track with our budgeting and really strap down and writing down everything we spend again. We did this really faithfully before Tyler started his new job in April but then I got lazy and haven't really been doing a good job since then. So when I got started on it again (I usually take this over, rather than Tyler just since I have more time to do it than he does) and got in the "DON'T SPEND UNNECESSARY MONEY" mode. So I was convinced that I was going to wait out this toothache until January because why pay for this dental visit and x-rays when I don't have to? Well after hearing horror story after horror story I decided to call some dental offices and get some price quotes.
After calling a couple places that were recommended to me I decided on one and just came to terms with the fact that I was going to be spending $100 (that WASN'T in our budget) on this visit and just to suck it up and go.
Well not kidding you, 10 minutes later Tyler shows up with the mail and as I'm going through it, we received a packet with coupons for local businesses here and wouldn't ya know there was a $50 gift certificate included in there for a dentist that was right down the road from us! I called them and they said with the certificate I wouldn't pay more than $43 out of pocket! WOW.
So I went and after x-rays and everything else the Dentist believes I have a Sinus Infection that is causing the pain so I got put on an antibiotic. Hopefully that's all that's wrong and I won't need a crown or root canal or anything.
I'm just amazed at the ways that God just provides, especially financially lately. Along with that gift certificate we also had an outstanding medical bill from Lincoln's RSV shots last January for $2,300! Yikes! I just found out about that a couple weeks ago too. After a couple days of freaking out about having to use our emergency fund (thanks Dave Ramsey!) to foot the big bill, we find out that again (we had overlooked) $2,000 that was left over in our HSA account. What an amazing God we serve.
I just wish that through all this I had my husband's amazing faith. When we found out about the extra $2000 in the HSA account I was jumping up and down with excitement and then looked over and Tyler was excited but I could tell it just wasn't as big of a deal to him and I ask, " why aren't you just bursting with excitement?!" and he answered, "well I was never really worried about it like you were, I knew God would provide one way or another." Wow. Then that got me thinking, why am I always so amazed when God provides or works things out? I should have the type of faith that just knows he will provide. I want faith like that.
Lastly, but definitely not the least, God has provided a way out of my mom's old job and has provided (in PERFECT timing none the less) a new job for her with better hours. Our God is Good.
I'm right there with you...always so surprised at what God does! So glad that He is proving Himself faithful to you guys. I called today to see how that appt. went. I should've totally watched Lincoln! Sorry!
ReplyDeleteThank you, MArie for all of your faith and strength you share with us. You are an inspiration to me to reevaluate my faith.
ReplyDeleteYou married a good man, Marie. God provided you with that too!!! :) Glad things worked out for you!
ReplyDeleteHey Marie,
ReplyDeleteIt's been a while. I hope you're doing well.
Your story reminded me of a 23 year old girl I recently met. She went to the hospital with a toothache. That toothache turned into a disease called Arteriovenous Malformation. It's causing her jaw to bleed uncontrollably. If she doesn't receive the necessary treatment, she will eventually bleed to death. Her employer (who pays her less than $6/day) didn't provide her with any form of health insurance (a policy against the law her, but almost never enforced). Her parents are dead, and her aunt and uncle (a pastor that I know) have spent their life savings trying to keep her alive. The current bill balance is $978. The hospital won't let her leave her bed until she pays it (so the bill goes up by the day). The surgery she'll need for a shot at survival costs somewhere around $6,825. After hospital fees, it will total around $11,376. The hospital won't do it until they have the money.
So, count your blessing, and pray for this girl (her name is Rejoice) because she needs a miracle.
-Matt