Terry Brisbane – Lead Pastor, Cornerstone Church
It began last week when I started to feel pain shooting through my back molar as I applied pressure. I could tell something was wrong, and even though I would have preferred to ignore it, the pain forced me to make an appointment with my dentist. That’s one of the things that pain can do: it can push us into places where we would rather not go because as much as we may want to avoid addressing our problem, the alternative is worse.
In my case, the intense desire to avoid a visit to the dentist was outweighed by an even more intense desire to stop the pain. I can’t help but think that many of us are driven to places of healing and breakthrough for the exact same reason. Sometimes pain can be a gift because it motivates us to address things we might otherwise choose to neglect if it wasn’t for the pain.
My visit to the dentist confirmed that I had a cracked molar, which meant I needed a crown. Suffice to say, I was not overwhelmed with happiness thinking about the shots of Novocain and drilling that I knew would be coming my way. I’d also like to point out that a dentist’s office has a unique, distinct smell all it’s own. It’s hard to describe, but many of you know what I mean. That smell alone can trigger a variety of reactions because most of us associate it with memories that are less than joyful. So as I made the loathsome walk that dreary, drizzling, gray San Francisco day, I knew I had arrived when I was met by that special dental office aroma. Then it was just a matter of waiting for my turn – O the joy! Seriously – it’s like waiting for your turn at the gallows. Well, maybe I’m exaggerating… I mean, after all, my dentist is someone I’ve known for twenty years. He’s nice and he’s skilled at what he does. I trust him, and yet if it wasn’t for the pain, I wouldn’t have been there.
Again, this illustrates a great spiritual truth. Some of us are driven toward a deeper and healthier life in Christ because our hearts are warmed and we know we should (Psalm 73:28, Jeremiah 20:9, Luke 24:32), but there are other times when the only thing moving us to address certain “cracks” in our walk with Christ is pain: pain from brokenness; pain from shame; pain from deep discouragements; or pain from dissatisfaction with the status quo, which can actually be good for us. Very good for us. I think that’s part of what the apostle Paul was getting at when he talked about thorns in the flesh and suffering (2 Corinthians12:5-10). We can either be defeated by such things or made better because they draw us closer to Christ.
An unpleasant visit to the dentist can be a really good thing if it makes us better!
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