My son had been complaining that his tooth was hurting at dinner and when I examined it later on, noticed it was close to coming out. Since this is the first time I have ever been a "dental surgeon", didn't quite know how to deal with it. After a whole lot of screaming (him, not me) and a little bit of blood, my son's first tooth was nestled in my hand. After he calmed down, he proudly displayed his gaping hole in his mouth and enjoyed the ice cream popsicle as promised. After we were done, I told my son the story of how my father pulled my teeth when they were loose when I was a little girl. I told him that my father used to count "1,2,3," and wiggle it loose.Afther a few quick moments, we'd try again, as I'd scream and cry during every tug. One time, my dad tricked me. He counted as he had always done and I still screamed bloody murder. That is, until he showed me it had been out of my mouth and in that bloody napkin for some time.
It is never pleasant for me to put my son or daughter through a lot of pain. It would have been easier for me to let it go until it naturally fell out. But, I know that a little wiggle now, can lead to a lot less pain later.
It is the same in my christian life. I'm faced with many choices that would be easy to overlook. I can easily scream and whine when I'm faced with a challenge that seems too difficult. I could say that it hurts too much to face a trial or that to develop spiritually will just naturally happen on its own. But, I know, much like that tooth, that a little wiggle now, leads to a whole lot less pain later.
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