Painkillers Anyone?

I had a toothache yesterday. In fact, I’ve been putting up with the dull throbbing pain in my jaw for a few days now, dreading what it might mean and hoping it would go away. It didn’t.

So yesterday, I put on my big girl brave pants and made an appointment to go to my dentist. Out of all the horrible things we subject ourselves to be healthy, the dentist is the worst for me. I get anxiety just thinking about it. But I am brave and wise, so I went.

In anticipation of my painful mouth being poked and prodded, I took some painkillers half an hour before my scheduled visit. Before I even sat down in the big intimidating recliner, my dentist (a kind and bright young lady) asked me, “Have you taken any painkillers?”

“Yes,” I replied.

I thought she’d say, “Good thinking,” but no. She wasn’t happy at all. “That might make my job more difficult,” she said. The medication masks the pain, making it harder to diagnose the source of the problem.

It’s a bit of a metaphor for life.

Life gets painful. There is decay in our lives that causes us so much pain. But so often, rather than pressing into the pain point and rooting out the source of the problem, we mask it with distractions.

We go shopping, binge Netflix, eat chocolate and open a bottle of wine. We fill our schedules, so we never have the chance to sit still with our own painful thoughts. We fill our homes with noise, so we never need to address our dissatisfaction and loneliness. We do everything we can to dull the pain.

Psalm 139:23–24 (NLT) says:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”

This is a brave prayer, like lying on the dentist’s chair with your mouth open wide and the light in your eyes, you invite God to put His finger on the pain points, and it hurts. For a little while at least.

But, when we allow God to do His work, when we listen and obey, healing comes. Peace replaces anxiety. Forgiveness overcomes bitterness. Love defeats fear. We can live in freedom and joy rather than pain and fear. God is so good.

After careful examination, including an X-ray to see beneath the surface, the dentist said I had aggravated a nerve. The pain will ease in the next day or so. And I am at peace once again.

Let’s be brave and ask ourselves the hard questions:

• What painkillers are we using in our lives to mask our pain?
• What are the root problems that we need to address?
• How is God calling us to obey Him?

Let’s pray the prayer David bravely asked God in Psalm 139 and allow His Spirit to examine our hearts.