Adverse Change

I came to a shocking realization this morning around 2:30. I have a tooth that really really hurts.  At about 4AM, I came to the conclusion that the pain wasn't going away, and I was going to have to do something about it. Well, I wasn't going to have to do something. A trained professional was going to have to do something. So as soon as my dentist opened up shop today I headed over to get things looked at. That's when I received my death sentence: Root Canal.


I asked the hygienist Tiffany, how long they typically take. Apparently they last around an hour if all goes well. If having my mouth stretched open wide while one of my nerves is destroyed in my mouth wasn't enough, I haven't been getting too many excited comments from my friends and family about their experiences with the process. The general consensus is its painful, long, and at the end of it they give you a bill. No this isn't my attempt at a Charlie Brown Dental Visit, or me sharing Matt's Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.  That's not the case at all.


I hate when I know I have something painful ahead of me. I hate it even more, when I know that it is necessary. It only makes things worse to know on top of everything else, that whatever necessary pain is ahead of me, it won't necessarily fix all of my problems.


It is easy for me to recognize this when my jaw is throbbing and anything is an improvement over that constant pain. It is a lot harder for me, when that necessary pain means having a tough conversation with a friend,  making a tough cut in my personal budget to pay off debt, dealing with sin in my life, or making some other change in my life. 


People are naturally resistant to change because they know it can be painful. We are even more resistant when we know it will be painful.  Still, we can't avoid it. That only makes things worse. Pain is sometimes an inevitable part of life. When we recognize that we have some of it up ahead, we best prepare ourselves to trust God and go through it. If we drag our feet, it can only last longer.


I've gotta run. I think I have an ice skate in my basement. I think I saw Tom Hanks give himself a root canal with one in Castaway. It couldn't hurt to try right?