Braving the Dentist

I’m not sure how you feel about the dentist. To me any doctor is not where I’d ever choose to be for any length of time. I always leave with a sense of hopelessness, I either haven’t gotten the answers that feel helpful or I hear a new list of things that could benefit my body but know I can never afford it.

Fast forward to the day I am told to bring a child to the dentist. Now from my time working as a social worker for DSS/DFCS this was not my first time, but it was the first time that a kid was just as weary as I would be to walk inside the doors. When we parked at the dentist and he was unwilling to exit the car, I related deeply. There are so many times that I feel the same way, unwilling to face what is in front of me. I invited him to take my hand. I wanted to tell him not to be afraid but heck, I felt uneasy and I was not the one seeing the dentist.

I remember what a friend taught me not too long ago that “we can do hard things.” Instead of brushing aside the weight of this real fear I get on my knees and grab his hand and say “buddy it’s okay to be afraid. Wanna know a secret, I get scared when I go to the dentist too. You can do this, you are brave and strong, we can do hard things. I’ll be with you the whole time.”

You know what that boy was more brave than I would have ever been! We walked into the waiting room and read books then when his name was called he took my hand and walked straight back. He got nervous once we were back there but a cool pair of sunglasses and a promise of a prize helped him rock his way through.

For countless years the Lord has done this with me, he does this with me everyday. I am so quick to complain or fight back what I am supposed to do or need to do from fear, laziness, or other reasons I convince myself are valid. God reminds me who he created me to be and we take the next step. It’s a beauty to know that we don’t walk alone, we just need to remember who walks with us.