I admit it. When it comes to the dentist – I. am. a. chicken!After biting down on a crisp piece of bacon last week and having a piece of a back tooth break off, I called and made an appointment to get it fixed. Though I’m a chicken about the dentist, I’m smart enough to know that not taking care of a problem can mean much more serious fixes! So the appointment was made, and now I had a whole week to dread it!
The time to see the dentist came yesterday afternoon at…2:30 (tooth-hurty! an old joke, but still funny!). I should have known that the time alone was telling me this wouldn’t be good!
I took my Bible memory cards with me to occupy my mind and it helped a bit – at least until I heard the dentist say, “Denise, it was just a piece of tooth that chipped off. There’s no decay there and I can’t see any further crack, but I’m going to put a temporary filling in there and watch it a few weeks. I’m going to rough up the old filling with the drill. If I hurt you, tell me.” Are you kidding? No Novocaine? No laughing gas? No bullet? You’re going to drill and you want me to tell you if it hurts? And how am I going to tell you when my mouth has am many instruments in it as does an interstate under construction?
So, he started drilling. Vzvzvzvzvzvzvzvzvzvzvzvzvzvzvzvzzzzz! I’m praying. It was getting really hot in there. I’m reciting my verses in my mind – Titus 2 But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. And then ZZZZZZZZZZZ! He hit the tooth with the drill! I quickly learned how to tell him he had hurt me! Gurgling noises erupted from my throat, my eyebrows arched, as did my back! “Oh, I hit the tooth” said my dentist coolly as he redirected the drill back to the filling and continued to buzz away. Thank the Lord, that only happened once. I’m not sure that we would both have lived to see the end of the day had it happened again. The temporary filling was put in its place and I was on my way home within 45 minutes…45 very long minutes.
Immediately after getting into my car at the dentist office, the Lord brought a truth to my mind that I’d heard before. Words shared without thought are like a visit to the dentist with no Novocaine! We’ve all done it – we’ve opened our mouths and spoken that thought that was on our mind. It may have been spoken to our husband, child, church member, or friend; people we love and are close to. Even while we’re saying it, we realize that it is probably hurtful. Like my dentist, we have nothing but good intentions; but we inflict pain nonetheless. Perhaps the timing was off. Maybe our tone is harsh. We may have misunderstood and are totally off base with what we’ve said. The damage is done. We see the hurt in their eyes – their eyebrows are raised as mine were, and the one who’s been hurt is trying to deal with the pain.
Proverbs has so much to say about our words. One verse I repeat over and over to myself is Proverbs 29:11 – A fool utters all his mind, but a wise man keeps it in until after the matter.
In other words, the wise person waits for the Novocaine to take effect. They wait. They pray. They think. Then they speak.
Have you recently spoken words without any anesthetic? Though the pain may have already been inflicted, a soft answer turns away wrath (Prov 15:1). Tell the offended one you were wrong to speak as you did and ask them to forgive you (after you’ve asked the Lord’s forgiveness). Then ask the Lord to give you gentle words – like the hands of a kind dentist.
From my parsonage window,
P.S. You know that “temporary filling” means I have to go back, right? I hope and pray I won’t have an amusing tale to share when it’s over! Oh, and my appointment time? 1:00!
RefreshHer 