Often It Is A Case Of Both Good News And Bad News
I told Ed, my old neighbor in Saskatchewan, that I filled my car up yesterday with gas at 87 cents per liter here in Chilliwack B.C. I assured Ed that for us, that is a meager price per liter. Our low price did not impress Ed, and he told me that I should change to an electric car. Ed did agree with me that cheap gas isn’t as rewarding right now when we have to stay home and wash our hands often and not touch our faces at all.
This staying home time is not all bad, as a call from my dentist’s office today canceled my appointment for this week. Once again, I have escaped a meeting with my dentist by the skin of my teeth. Presently he is still only seeing emergency patients because of Covid 19.
I’m not disappointed that my dentist appointment is postponed to the end of May. It is not a case of sour grapes for me. There is no gnashing of my teeth in anger over the delay in seeing my dentist. Ed claims that the secret of his fine white teeth is that he faithfully chews wooden toothpicks. For those who scoff, Ed says to think about the fine teeth of a beaver. I was not going to argue with him as he does have good white teeth, and he does chew more than his share of toothpicks.
For those of us who do go to the dentist, it is good that someone is willing to put their fingers in our mouths. We need the one who will deal with our cavities and remove the teeth that need to come out. The bad news for us is the pain of a toothache. Yes, needles, drilling, picking, prying, filling, root canals, and crowns all can be less than pleasant, but they are meant to help us. Going to the dentist is good for us. After the dentist has addressed our teeth problems, we may forget how his work benefited us. Too often, we only appreciate the dentist when we have a toothache.
A toothache means we do not have everything under control. We like to think that everything can be corrected or cured. It is a time for us to stay home and be safe, but we cannot deny death is on a worldwide crusade to claim many more lives than usual. It is a time that life has become a mystery that shifts and evolves around from day to day. We do normal life best and resent not knowing what is around the next corner. Many of the Psalms were written when there were death and danger at every turn, and there was no evidence that life would return to normal soon. Psalm 130 is worthy of study.
This palm asks for mercy from God, “Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.†It acknowledges our sinfulness and our forgiveness before God, “With You God, there is forgiveness.” It speaks of waiting for God to redeem those that hope in Him because of His unfailing love. “My soul waits for the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and full redemption.†Amen.
