No one really likes going to the dentist, but the three girls I had with me were literally trembling. At age 15 they had never had their teeth examined and now they were waiting to have a dentist extract a tooth! Their first time to the dentist and a lady they didn’t know told them she had to pull a tooth out of their mouth! How scary! I can just imagine the fears running through their head about having something rooted into them yanked out. As we walked the short distance from their school to the dentist you would have thought they were walking the Death March. They dragged their feet, barely inching forward, clutching onto one another, even turning around to go back a few times. They were terrified. But I stood behind them in confidence, encouraging them along the way that despite their fears and hesitancy it was something they needed to do to for their health; that this was for their best interest.
I understood why they were fearful, but at the same time I wanted to laugh at their silliness because I knew in the end everything would be all right. I knew this wasn’t the end of the line for these girls, but just a small trial that they would quickly overcome. And now as I write this, I can see the parallel of how God works in our lives in the same way. We encounter something we don’t understand, approaching it with fear and hesitancy. We know a change is happening in our lives and it terrifies us. Sometimes we turn back to our old ways- old habits we are accustomed to that are rooted in how we operate, afraid of having them yanked out and leaving a hole in our lives. But that is where God stands behind us encouraging us along the way, knowing that our current trial is just a small bump in the road; knowing that in the end when he pulls something unhealthy out of our life it is for our own good. And even though we resist, drag our feet, clutch onto others for safety and comfort, God guides our path bringing us through His ultimate will and better knowledge for our own good.
The three girls: Hedessa, Ashley, and Rizel, each got a tooth pulled, and of course came out of the office just fine. They were terribly sad when the dentist told me that I should take them to get ice cream , but somehow I didn’t have to drag them along to the minimarket like I had to drag them earlier. We all got a cup of soft serve and it was wonderful to see the girls laughing and smiling, forgetting to cover their mouth in embarrassment like they were doing before.
Before we left I told all the girls they could pick one thing, as long as it was soft, and I would buy it for them as a treat for being so brave. For a while they wandered around picking up various snacks like chips and gum. Eventually though, they all came to the same corner staring and excited for something I was not expecting: loaves of Gardenia sliced bread.
I told them I would get them each a loaf of bread, but I asked confused, are you sure this is what you want?! Bread? They all exclaimed, Yes Tita Katharine! This is the best bread it is so soft! And my heart melted as I knew they wanted something they could share with their families at home. A basic food source in my life that take for granted, is a treat for them.
On the trike ride back to YMC where I live, Hedessa asks me if I am rich because the bread I bought (which cost about a dollar American) is so expensive! I didn’t know how to respond. But she continues saying they are all so thankful to me because cannot afford such bread.
Then she says, we are poor, but we are rich in God.
Wow.
My heart. I was so convicted and blessed.
Poor, but rich in God.
How wise and spiritually mature. She is only fifteen and yet has much more faith than I, or even people I know that are twice her age. For her to make such a bold statement in God- I would have never thought to say something like that. And yet it escaped her mouth so nonchalantly, as nothing profound, just a simple truth that she lived in daily.
And over a loaf of bread, we shared a simple truth in the Lord, that we are rich in His love.
Over a loaf of bread these girls blessed me with hugs and kisses, and the reminder that we are rich in God.
Over a loaf of bread I took communion in the love of Christ. Perhaps not in the most traditional manner, but still a reminder and experience of God’s love and sacrifice for us.
So be reminded, that despite your circumstances, you are rich in the Lord’s love for you. Be reminded that no matter what God has yanked out of your life, what fearful circumstances you are facing, God is bringing you through it for your own good, because He loves you. He wants you to be healthier in the richness of His love. And you can turn around, try and go back in hesitancy, but in the end you cannot escape His goodness, blessings and extreme love. Our God is indeed a Good God. And one that loves you incredibly and wants to feast and be in communion with you over a loaf of bread, over the bread of His son Jesus Christ who sacrificed His life for His great love for us.
We cannot take it for granted as something basic in our daily diet. We must remember everyday what a great blessing it is. Christ is not just a loaf of bread we eat once a month for communion, or even in the mornings for breakfast: but a profound symbol of God’s great love for us. A manifestation of how we are rich in God.
