Dentists, Drowning, Distractions, Dairy Queen

Dentists, Drowning, Distractions, Dairy Queen.

They hardly seem connected in any form or fashion. And yet, as I sat in the dentist's chair with the hygienist bending over me, cleaning my teeth - they all came together in my mind like some cosmic melting pot.

First - dentists. My dentist is a friend of mine so I hesitate to say this but..... I don't like dentists. Not the person himself (or herself). They're actually really nice people - generally speaking. I just don't like going there. I'm not equipped properly for a pleasant trip to the dentist.

"Open wider, please," is the one phrase that becomes a mantra I hear throughout my time in the chair. My mouth is too small (contrary to what you might have heard from others). I can barely get two fingers - placed vertically - between my teeth. And that's only to the first knuckle! So my jaw gets strained. Sometimes the jaw muscles spasm because of trying to open wider than my mouth was created to!

Second - drowning. The hygienist cleans my teeth 4 times a year. I have a mouth that needs constant cleaning - something my wife rarely needs (and which I am kindly reminded of each time I visit)! And she uses this water jet tool to scrape most of the buildup from my teeth. It is fast and efficient.

But no matter how where the suction tube is placed in my mouth, a buildup of water always begins to collect at the back of my throat. My body tenses up. My fists begin to clench. My heart speeds up. I have to force myself to breath. I feel like I'm going to drown. I need help...

And, third - I need a distraction. I need something to distract my thoughts from those of a watery death on the dentist's chair.

If I didn't distract myself from my thoughts of drowning I would never make it through the procedure. I would probably burst out of the chair maiming the hygienist or dentist or anyone else who got in my way of escaping my watery death. But by thinking of other things - ANY other thing - I escape the slippery slope of deepening anxiety.

Fourth - and this is where Dairy Queen comes in.

As I sat there sweating and knowing I needed to distract myself from my watery-grave-thoughts, I remembered passing the Dairy Queen store on the way to the dentist and the sign which said "Buy any size Blizzard and get a second of equal or lesser value for 99 cents". And suddenly my thoughts were transported form the watery depths to the wonder of a Skor Blizzard with extra caramel and hot fudge added - yumm! (no wonder I go to the dentist so much, you say?)

1 Corinthians 10:13 (NCV)

The only temptation that has come to you is that which everyone has. But you can trust God, who will not permit you to be tempted more than you can stand. But when you are tempted, he will also give you a way to escape so that you will be able to stand it.

 

No matter what you are going through - what temptations keep stressing you out, God has provided a distraction for you. So that you can make it through to the other side.