It was my routine visit to the dentist. There I was sitting in the exam chair, leaned back, mouth wide open as the hygienist picked and prodded to clean my teeth. All the while, we were carrying on small talk about family, food, politics and various topics.
It’s very tricky to converse while your teeth are being cleaned. You must wait for those brief opportunities when the hygienist pauses to grab her rinsing tube or load up her polishing brush. Then you must quickly say what you want to contribute to the conversation before she goes back in. There’s a rhythm to it. You get good at it after a while.
‘How come?’
During one pause, she asked me how many grandchildren I have. “Four,” I replied. One-word answers are easy to get out in time. But at the next chance, I decided to go for a longer comment. “My daughter takes all four of them to the dentist at the same time,” I hurriedly said. “That’s quite a challenge,” I added, “but there’s one thing I don’t understand. How come you have to … ?”
I had to stop there. She had gone back in with the floss. I had to wait until the next break to finish my thought. “How come you have to take such good care of baby teeth when they’re all just going to fall out anyway?”
She went in with a rinse as she explained that baby teeth are extremely important because they hold the space in your gums to the proper dimensions until the permanent teeth are ready to come in. They also serve as perfect practice models while a child learns how to brush and floss.
“God gives you a set to practice on,” she said through a smile.
Intentional design
It’s pretty amazing really. God thought of everything when He designed us. He gives us what we need but not until we’re ready for it, including permanent teeth. He knew children would love candy and sweets, and He gives them a chance to grow and learn and develop the right tooth habits before He blesses them with the real thing.
Is there something you’ve been praying and hoping for but it just hasn’t happened? Could God be waiting for you to grow and learn and develop the right habits in your Christian walk before He brings it to you?
Now there’s something to chew on.
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