Root Canals

 I got my first root canal in Romania. Had I had the choice, I would have picked the United States. After having one done in America and comparing the two, in hindsight, I would have preferred to fly back in excruciating pain just to have it done here. Unfortunately, you don’t get to choose the time and place; you have to deal with the situation when it arises.

It’s not that the dentists there are bad at their jobs; the technology is lacking. Especially in the early 90’s when the following incident took place. As is the case the world over, some are better at what they do than others, but that’s just the way of things.

The dentist I got an appointment with was young and far too chipper for my taste. That should have clued me in on what was to follow, but the pain was clouding my judgment, so I sat in the chair, gave him a moment to look over the x-ray, then tell me what I already knew.

Either something was getting yanked, or something was getting drilled, but I wasn’t walking out of there the same way I walked in.

“I have some good news,” he began, and my eyebrows shot up on instinct. “I can save the molar, but we need to do a root canal.” Since I liked steak even then and couldn’t afford filets, I thought it would be nice to have an extra molar to masticate the tougher cuts with, so I nodded. Nowadays, nobody can afford filets, and that’s socialist equality for you! Everyone is equally miserable, chewing at the same piece of cud like a cow chewing grass, but I digress.

He then told me precisely what he would be doing, as though he were either reminding himself or teaching a class the proper way to do a root canal. He even had visual aids which he brandished, whether a drill, a syringe, and some gadget that looked like half a fish hook.

“We’re going to numb the area first, with this right here, after which we have to drill down so we can have access to the cavity, remove the nerve with this tool right here, it’s from Germany, fill in the canal, seal the tooth, and you’ll be good to go.” For some reason, he was very proud that the thing that looked like a hook was from Germany.

Mind you, all this time, I was sitting in the chair with the Romanian version of a dental dam between my cheek and my gums, basically packing peanuts from what I could tell, drooling like a mental patient, and trying my hardest not to wet myself from the pain.

He then finished with, “nothing to worry about; all will be well.”

I was rereading the first few verses of Matthew 24 this morning, and that’s the memory that popped into my mind as I did so. Jesus is going through this long list of what the last days will bring, such as wars, rumors of war, pestilences, famines, and all manner of uncomfortable situations, then says, see that you are not troubled. Keep in mind, Jesus didn’t say to see that you are not affected, empathetic toward those around you, compassionate toward those who are suffering, or even burdened on their behalf; He said to see that you are not troubled. 

By this point, Jesus had been fully human for 33 years. He understood man’s frailty and knew man’s tendencies, yet still said see that you are not troubled. Your first reaction will be to be troubled. It is human nature and the predisposition thereof to run worst-case scenarios on a loop in your mind, to the point that a hangnail turns into a complete amputation by the time you’re done. Jesus didn’t say I will keep you from being troubled; he left it on your shoulders whether or not you would be.

You can’t control what happens in the world, but you can control how you react to it. Fear is a choice. You can choose to be afraid, or you can choose not to be troubled. You control your reaction.

Why are you troubled, oh my soul? What have you to fear? He who foresaw all these things and has the power to still the storm commanded you not to be troubled. Rejoice! Your name is written in heaven! That should be our attitude toward the last days.

It’s pointless to pretend that all these things won’t happen or that God will do something He never hints at in the Bible just to keep us from facing certain realities. Yes, hard times are coming. Yes, men’s hearts will fail them from fear and the expectation of things coming upon the earth. But as for you, see that you are not troubled!

That’s the thing, though, if you are living in fear, if you are troubled, if you don’t have peace, you are living contrary to the command of Christ. That may have sounded harsh and clinical, but it is true, nevertheless.

Do you give into fear, doubt, and uncertainty, or do you trust the promises of God? Do you see the furnace or the One who stands beside you in the furnace? You make the choice, and no one can compel you otherwise. You can be encouraged by others’ testimonies, and you can draw strength from the promises of God, but you choose not to be troubled. No one can do it for you.

I can tell you not to be troubled, and it wouldn’t hold much weight. Jesus told you not to be troubled, and that should hold all the weight in the world.

With love in Christ, 

Michael Boldea, Jr.