Yesterday, at 36 years of
age, I had a dentist tell me that I needed to get a filling (actually
a few fillings). Many would say that this is not a big deal and, in
truth, it isn't. It does stand out for me though, because until
yesterday I lived my entire life without having a cavity. Not even
one. Ever.
I am nervous about
getting my first ever filling. It is the drill that makes me
nervous. And the needle that comes immediately before it. In spite
of the nervousness it is a strange relief to get a filling. I have a
problem. There is a hole in my tooth (actually in a few teeth). My
problem is a solvable problem. My dentist has filled hundreds of
teeth and she will fill mine and things will be good again.*
Solvable problems are
good because of the amount of unsolvable problems that I see at
Outflow. I know people who have chronic health problems that have no
cure. I know people who have suffered years of abuse who still
cannot process the evil that happened to them years or decades later
because the evil is unfathomable. I know people who have been
addicted to alcohol or other drugs since they were children. I know
people who are being abused now. These seem like unsolvable
problems, at least in the short term. A dentist cannot put a filling
in these problems. Nor can I. Nor can Outflow.
People who are interested
in knowing about my job often ask one of two questions. First, they
ask, “Why doesn't the man you are working with just... and his
problem will be solved?” This question always comes from a
well-meaning person who is looking to solve a problem that they don't
realize does not have a solution. Second, and often after I answer
the first question, they ask, “How do you deal with this?”
The first question is
hard. The second is easy.
My hope is in the
resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus took the worst that evil can do.
Evil killed him. Then Jesus struck back and defeated evil and
resurrected. He was dead. Then he was not. I put hope in this
because I know how the story will end. The resurrection that Jesus
experienced is promised to all who call on him. Grace is a beautiful
thing. It solves the unsolvable.
Jesus is unique in this
ability. I am reminded of Matthew 9:12 where Jesus tells us who he
came to save: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the
sick.” (NIV) This is beautiful. Come May 31 when I have my
fillings done, my teeth will again be healthy. Jesus seems quite
happy to let my dentist solve that problem and he doesn't need to do
it. Instead, Jesus is going to work on the decades of addiction, the
damage done by abuse, and the incurable disease. I don't know how
Jesus is going to touch the people I meet. I know he works signs and
wonders but I also know that he usually doesn't. Even when there is
not a miracle, Jesus is still there, however, and he will solve the
problem. The Kingdom of God is near. Resurrection is coming.
Until it is here in
fullness, I will remind myself of his promise:
I waited patiently for
the Lord;
he turned to me and
heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the
slimy pit,
out of the mud and
mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm
place to stand.
He put a new song in my
mouth,
a hymn of praise to
our God.
Many will see and fear
the Lord
and put their trust
in him. (Psalm 40:1-3, NIV)
*Perhaps they will be
great. She said my teeth might stop hurting when I eat gummy bears
when the fillings are in.
