Novocaine

I haven't posted anything in a few days partially because I have spent a lot of time at the dentist. There's really never a good reason that follows that statement- something is almost always wrong if you are making repeated trips to your dentist's office. And my time there was no exception. They've gone very high tech now with all their fancy gadgets and TV's in every cubicle but you still have to wear those lame sunglasses to protect your eyes from what I guess are ultra-violet death rays coming out of that little lamp. And then they pulled out these 1980's headphones(with all this technology has no one mentioned to them earbuds?) so I could listen to the TV while they did what sounded like building demolition in my mouth. It was all very pleasant. When it was time to leave, the hygienist told me to be careful because that whole side of my mouth would be very numb for a few hours- apparently some people forget this? Or just don't care so they end up biting their cheek or tongue and have this mangled mess in their mouth when the anesthesia wears off which is more painful than the work they had done.
I had a lot of time to think about my numb mouth because I am fortunate enough to be one of the few people who are very sensitive to novocaine and instead of being numb for a couple of hours- my mouth stays numb for the entire day. Lucky me. But as I thought about how easy it would be to accidentally hurt yourself with no feeling in your face- it occurred to me that this happens all the time in everyday life without any novocaine at all.
We all go through things when it seems like the pain of it is too much to bear and I believe a lot of those times God will, like any good physician, give us enough of His grace to "numb"us up. Not that we won't feel it by any means, but He gives us what we need to endure with the goal being to eventually overcome. But sometimes we get stuck in a cycle of trying so hard not to feel anything as we go through that we start to self-medicate. Maybe drugs or alcohol but maybe not. Maybe a job or a hobby or taking care of somebody else or shopping or eating or exercising...we're a creative bunch so we can come up with all kinds of things to keep from dealing with what is really going on in our lives. And it works so we keep on doing it- maybe even for years, until one day- we have to wake up and deal with the mangled mess we have created while trying to avoid the original pain. Because when we're busy numbing ourselves- we can't feel what we are doing to those around us or even ourselves and we inevitably do damage we never intended.
I can tell you that the pain you think you cannot bear- you can if you let Him in the pain with you. The things you think you cannot face- you can if you let Him face them with you. He is faithful- not because He's God and He has to be but because He is who He is and He loves you even in your numbed up state making a mangled mess of everything. He loves you no less in your mess. (that rhymed and it was a total accident! but I like it- it's a good motto!)