[align=”right”][/align]Certainly I am a different sort of character than most, and can make observations about things or places that some would find eccentric or even weird. There are times when I over-think things, analyze too much, or come up with and defend positions that many find untenable. So I'm not surprised about the revelation that came to me today in the most unlikely of places.
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[align=”right”][/align]While I was lying on a gurney, with a dentist and his assistant hovering over me, my mouth wide and instruments of destruction steadily at work removing nerve tissue from within my molar—I made a profound observation about the Christian faith. I found that where many people feel great unease (undergoing a medical procedure involving anesthesia, cutting, drilling, etc.) I was at the peak of assurance and personal comfort. I can't remember feeling that safe, at ease, and at home in a long while. When I began to ask myself why I felt so at peace, it was clear that I felt this way because I believed I was in good hands. I knew those performing the procedure were professional, seasoned, and knowledgeable. I knew I was in a sterile environment, surrounded by medical instruments and machinery that could be used to make sure I received the highest standard of care. Furthermore, the doctor's close proximity brought reassurance. I could make direct eye contact with him at any time, and his hands were right there, steadily working, just outside of my vision. I could see and feel his presence.
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[align=”right”][/align]While I thought about this, first I understood this was probably a false sense of security. I've felt it before when inside a medical environment, and can recognize that it comes from my false perception of the medical professional being more than human in his ability to make things right. Thankfully I have yet to become jaded and let down from this perception like so many patients have. Anyway, after I clarified my reasons for feeling so secure during today's procedure I began to consider that, in all reality, I have greater reason for a sense of security than having a seasoned medical professional at the ready. And this sense of well being, unlike the temporary one I experienced today, can be one I retain at all times. For, I am in the hands of the greatest professional in all existence, one whose job is to control the universe. He is not only a healer, but he made the body before it ever had need of healing. He is not only wise, but He is the author and wielder of all wisdom. If I believe the bible, which says that I am his child, I must also believe its proclamation that the Father knows every hair on my head. Like the good dentist, the Father is constantly overshadowing me. He is constantly looking upon me with vigilance. He constantly has his hands on me, doing his good work, operating under the solemn oath that He will make all things work together for the good of those who are called. Furthermore, if I am so comforted by fallible, faulty human beings–taught and trained by other faulty human beings–it borders on blasphemy for me to feel so discomfited, so anxious, so worried while under the watchful eye of God—who is not fallible or faulty, and who has no need to be taught, but knows all.
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[align=”right”][/align]Anyway, my root canal appears to have gone well. My mouth is still numb, which is a slight inconvenience considering I am beginning to develop an appetite, but the feeling is coming back slowly. The tooth will heal, I will return to my precious medical professional again for a second procedure, and afterwards I will see my dentist so he can crown the tooth. From there, it's on to the next challenge, the next project!