Whats amazing about the Dentist is they try to make it look like a cozy feel when you enter the "Chair." That they went all out at their expense to make your trip more enjoyable. They break out the reclining leather chair and they try to put on some ombiant music from such musical geniuses of Micheal Bolton and Kenny G. All in the name of making you feel more at ease. They place a towel over the table next to the chair, making you feel for only one second that maybe, just maybe there are no electrical tools under there. But, of course, we know better. There are tools under there! No amount of cheap, crappy music and leather chairs are going to make us not realize the pain that is about to take place.
My wife has to go into the Oral surgeon tomorrow to have her wisdom teeth pulled out. The back tooth has decayed so bad that they have to cut the inside of her jaw to take the teeth out. For years, she has masked the pain as long as she could so that we did not have to spend the money necessary to fix it. Not to mention the little bit of fear that grips a person from ever having to walk down the narrow hallway to the dentist chair. I am truly sorry that my baby has to endure the pain that is about to take place. If I could take the pain for her, I would.
As I was sitting here trying to talk her into making this move. I had to think about life. What in life do we try to run from and mask the pain so that we do not have to deal with it? I starting thinking about all the messages I have done on this very topic. I was reminded of a young girl who was in our youth group a few years back, that had a little secret that she didn't want anyone else to know about. She spent many years hiding the painful memories of what had happened to her. She tried to hide it with never telling anyone about it, she ran to the arms of a teenager who was just using her wounding to his advantage to have sex with her on a week to week basis. He in no way loved her or respected her. But, she felt that he was the only one that would be able to comfort her in her time of searching for the answers for what had happened to her. This is where we came into her situation.
She started showing up to youth night because she heard about our church and all the cool things that were happening and she wanted to check it out for herself. She began attending a small group of young ladies who all came from similar backgrounds. She became very close to her small group leader, so close that the issues in her heart were rising to the surface just enough to want to get all the pain out on the table. She has never told anyone about her "Pain" until one day she sat back after a youth night with tears in her eyes, We talked about Gods love that night. The kind of love that cares about you no matter what you have done, no matter what has been done to you, you are worthy in Gods eyes. As she sat there with un-ending tears she asked her leader if she could keep a secret. Like any well trained leader knows, this means the information that is about to transpire is a "BIGGY." The leader did what she knew to do and said that depending on the information that she was willing to share, she will have to report it to the proper people. The young lady excepted and shared it ALL anyway. (Thank God)
She went on to say how she was raped constantly by her father for the last 3 years and that she feels so dirty that she doesn't care about her sex life anymore. It means nothing to her. She feels like "Used Goods" She went on to say that she has been sleeping with her boyfriend because that is the only way she gets some comfort. She sleeps over at friends houses, so that she doesn't have to go home and face the constant abuse from her home life. Her mom wont understand and or believe her. She needed to finally share her pain and heart with someone and she chose her leader to share it with. She didn't feel that God would except her for where she was at, nor would he forgive her for her sins. She has no idea about the power of God and his grace for her life. Needless to say that the church leadership had to handle this in the most sensitive and timely matter. We made sure we went through the proper channels to protect her, but bring down the man that was causing all this to happen.
Sometimes pain is so evident that all we want to do is run from it and not confront it. Even Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane knowing that he was going to bare a painful death, ask God to take it away. Jesus, stood up and took the suffering for us, so that we would not have to suffer. Just like this young lady, doing everything in her power to cover it up so that it doesn't affect her anymore. Just like my wives unbearable tooth that she needs to get taken out. The longer we wait, the more pain accumulates. Until we are so gripped by it that it robs us of our future's.
God says, "cast all burdens onto me...."
That young lady made the right decision. She looked for help. Now she is young women with a promising future. A women who has forgiven her father, who loves Jesus, who makes it a priority to help other young women who have gone through the same past. She is a survivor for Christ.
Don't wait for the pain in your life to get to bad and to powerful that you have to take the dramatic way out. Confess your burdens unto the Lord and to someone you can trust and allow them to walk through this journey with you.
amanda, i just had my wisdom tooth out too - 4 days ago. and james, your perspective on the pain in life is excellent and so timely.
ReplyDeletemiss you guys!!!
love,
jessica "cornish" muto