It's Like Pulling Teeth

This is another post I wrote while in Kenya...

It's so hard to believe that we only have one more communication day after this..time is just flying. I am enjoying myself and the things God is teaching me so much and can't wait to bring them back to the states.

So on Wednesdays we usually work at the hospital, but yesterday I got to do something new, I got to work in the dental clinic. I have been interested in dental work for quite a few years, but have done nothing about it and had not expected to. For some reason thought I asked about their clinic and was able to work with them yesterday. Oh my goodness, I totally want to be working in a dental clinic someday. It was so much fun! I got to help clean and polish some guy's teeth, and I watched a tooth extraction. It was crazy. The girl I worked with (Naomi) introduced me as her assistant, Sarah. =) How fun! While Naomi was working to get that tooth out I kept thinking to myself, dang that much HURT! But then I kept reminding myself that the lady was numb on that side of her mouth. Something was there at the specific time to protect her from the pain she could be dealing with. Of course she still felt a small bit of pain, and she probably can feel it today, there is clearly a gap where her old tooth was and because of that gap she will always remember there was a tooth there and remember the pain she faced to get it out, but it doesn't hurt like it use to. It was something in her mouth that was bothering her and taking focus off of other things and if she would have done nothing about it, it would have only gotten worse, but now it was out and things are going to be fine. Thinking about all of that really just realates it to the Christian life. Sometimes we have things in our lives that can take our focus off of God, sometimes they are things that hurt pretty bad. Maybe we try to just deal with it and let it be, but truth be told, if we just leave it there it's only going to worse. But if we call on God to be our novocaine, to help us through things in our lives, He is going to help numb the pain. And not numb it in a way where we won't have to deal with it, but in a way where we can deal with it and get through the pain because God has made it less. We will still have the 'gap' when it's over, and we will not forget what happened, but I believe that's a good thing. I believe it's good to not forget, to move on, but know where we came from and what has shaped us in our past...what has made us who we are today. All in all, if we let God be our novocaine, things will work out, and pulling teeth won't be as excruciating as we all make it sound.



Hakuna Matata