“Teeth Sinking Anxiety”
October 16, 2022
Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad. – Proverbs 12:25
Many things, especially in these days, makes it easy to be anxious. We each may have an anxiety trigger that weighs us down. For me, just the thought of going to the dentist is anxiety producing, let alone actually sitting in the dentist chair. The other day I slugged my way, with a stooped, weighed down posture, into my dentist’s office as at least one of my teeth needed attention. I lost a battle with a piece of crispy bacon and ended up with a molar that cracked under my gum. Just as I thought, the tooth needs to be extracted. I’m anxious.
However, my dentist was very affirming with his words and his commitment to do all he could to make visits to his office as pain-free as possible. As he placed the gag producing, mouth roof cutting imaging plates in my mouth, along with other pointy instruments, he kept telling me I was doing a good job of cooperating with him. His encouragement throughout the 90 minute process actually reduced my discomfort so that I was gag-free, mostly pain-free, and definitely anxiety-free. His cheerleading words certainly made me glad.
Then when he discussed the tooth, over which the bacon was victorious, he explained the extraction would be simple enough. “Trust me,” he said, “this will come out easily and may only require a local anesthesia.” Before totally trusting him, I said, “Are you sure? Because another dentist told me this would be a messy extraction and I should plan to miss a few days of teaching because I’ll feel like I have the flu.” He assured me that I could have the tooth removed in the morning and be back to teaching in the afternoon.
Since the extraction has not happened yet, it remains to be seen if his “trust me words” will prove to be true. However, his reassuring words about the procedure have diminished my anxiety tremendously, and may I say, I actually left the dentist office encouraged and excited about having my dental work completed.
Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad. Proverbs 12:25
A “heavy heart” visits all of us from time to time, and I know there are far more anxiety producing events than visiting a dentist that may weigh down someone’s heart. Illness, grief, financial struggles, to name a few, may cause great discouragement and worry. How wonderful to know, that a good word from the Lord and from others can bring the comfort, peace, and assurance that is necessary to make our hearts merry again!
Our words have the power to build up or tear down one another. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 reminds us,
Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
I want to use my freshly cleaned mouth as an instrument of making glad the hearts that are weighed down with anxiety. Now if I could only conquer bacon strips, I would really be glad!