Here I am. Send me!
I do not know anyone who gets excited about going to the dentist. I’ve been very thankful sitting in the dentist chair, but I have never been excited sitting in the dentist chair. This summer, I went to a Bruce Wilkinson conference where I gained and in depth understanding of Isaiah 6:8, Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” Ever since that teaching, I have been saying, “Here I am, Lord; send me.” Ever since that time, I have seen God work abundantly in ordinary circumstances, providing blessings and miracles to people who believed that He would. I recommend that you buy and read Dr. Wilkinson’s newest book, You Were Born for This; it will change your present and eternal life. But back to the dentist. On this particular morning, I wasn’t thinking in the spiritual realm. I had experienced quite an ordeal with two of my teeth, one in particular in that it had to be pulled out. I was wearing a temporary bridge, and today was the day that I would get the permanent bridge put on. $1,200 later, I had the remaining $750 that I owed in hand; I was getting the bride put on. I was standing in the bathroom mirror, brushing my teeth and praying, “God, please have the bridge go on perfectly today; no complication. I pray for no pain, and an easy day at the dentist.” I am being honest here. I had recently experienced intense pain and weeks of recovery. I was tired of mouth pain. I wanted ease and smooth sailing today. Besides, the thought of them doing things to my gums and hitting a nerve (again) unnerved me and made my eyes water just thinking about it. I was thankful to be going to the dentist, but I was not at all excited. As I turned to walk out of the bathroom, feeling rather confident that God heard my prayer and believing in faith that it would be a day at ease at the dentist, God said, “It’s not about you. I need you at the dentist.” “What? Oh, I was thinking my mouth situation was about me, wasn’t I? Forgive me for thinking it was about me, and help me do what You want me to do today; Here I am; send me.”
It may sound funny to you, but I felt 100 times better after God told me it wasn’t about me. It took my focus off of myself and placed it back upon God who is able to do exceedingly more than I ask or believe (Ephesians 3:20). Plus, I got excited thinking I was going on an assignment for Him. I have to say, I was excited about going to the dentist. I just realized it as I type this; I was excited.
I’ve been going to this dentist since my kids were 2. They are now 15 and 12. I love all the people there. I sat down in the dentist chair, and waited. I prayed. I waited. I prayed. One of the wonderful ladies who works there came in to say hello. She’s the kind of person that should have her own “home” show. You know the kind I’m talking about. She just welcomes you and showers love all over you with a big smile and sparkling eyes. She wasn’t working on my mouth on this particular day, but she saw me sitting there so she came and sat down. “How are you, how are the kiddies?” she asked. [Now, God has taught me to speak in faith rather than fear. So, instead of making her laugh (I usually crack jokes when I’m freaked out) about my mouth pain, and telling her I was freaked out about what they were going to do to me today, I answered with a faith response.] “My faith is ever-increasing as I sit here; how are you?” I asked. Since I wasn’t saying anything more, she was able to talk [Aha! I see why God wants me to speak in faith! So other people can share their needs]. She began talking about her family and the summer, and then she said, “and my sister died last weekend; I just went to the funeral.” Tears filled her eyes and my eyes as she finished her sentence. She told me that her older sister died 2 years ago from a heart condition, and her younger sister died this past week of a heart-attack at 43. I was overcome with sadness. I needed tissue; I had to sit up, and I cried. We both cried. I couldn’t believe how overcome I was with her sadness; I have never felt someone’s pain (that I wasn’t super close and in constant contact with) to such a degree. I was thankful the dentist was busy in another room. Once we both regained our composure, we talked about God, Heaven, the fact that her sister was saved, and how she is walking in a wonderful place. She told how nice and funny her sister was, and how loving God is. I told her I would continue to pray for her, and her sister’s sons. She said, “Well, I better go greet the rest of our patients and focus for the rest of the day.” She patted my leg, stood up, and walked away. Seconds later, the lady who was going to prep my mouth for my bridge walked in. She could tell I had been crying. I told her how sad I was for the precious lady who just left. The lady assigned to work on my mouth gave me more tissue, and a few more seconds to cry. Again, I was surprised by the pain I felt for her. I told God, “Who would of thought I’d be in the dentist chair crying for someone else today?! You were right; this is not about me.”
While I was still speaking with God, the girl said, “Are you okay; how are you?” I said, “My faith is increasing as I sit here.” To which she replied. “Yeah, I have a heart condition too; the doctors don’t know what’s wrong, but I keep passing out without warning; I’ve given up hope. I just go home and get into bed after work.” I was still blowing my nose about the last lady’s pain and thought, “Wow, God. You weren’t kidding. This dentist appointment is definitely not about me.” Fortunately, the dentist stayed busy (of course he did. God always takes care of logistics when He sends you on a miracle assignment.) For 10 minutes, she shared her story, and I shared my faith. By the end of our conversation, she had hope again, and said, “Thanks, I needed that so much! I will have faith and trust God to take care of me.”
The dentist came in and began working. As he was working God said, “I need you to come back.” To which I responded, “Okay, I guess that mean my bridge isn’t going to go on?” I don’t know why I said it with a question in my tone. I knew the answer. Then, the dentist said, “Well, Mrs. Seymour. I have good news and bad news [I knew he would.] The good news is you get to come back and see us, but the bad news is the lab made the bridge a cm too short on the bottom, and I have to have them make a new one. If not, there is potential for decay over the years.” I wasn’t even upset. He said, “This supposed permanent bridge will be your new temporary.” As I got up and walked to the check-out counter with my (praise God, $750 in my hand!) I said, “You are right, God. This appointment, and my time on this earth, truly is not about me. Please continue to send me on assignments. You continue to amaze me in how You work. Never in a million years would I have considered that the weeks of mouth pain and the financial cost of my mouth was for a bigger purpose. I pray I never doubt your ability to work in all things again.” I almost skipped out of the dentist office that day, excited about where God may send me next. As I turned the ignition of my Honda and put it into drive, with new urgency and faith, I said, “Here I am. Send me!”
Kristina Seymour loves to encourage and equip women through the Word and through community. She is the author of The Warrior Mom Handbook, The Warrior Mom Leadership Manual, and The Warrior Wife Handbook; they are available at Amazon.com. Kristina's Bible studies are for women who desire to live by faith in the midst of their everyday lives. She has learned that women can't survive on caffeine and animal crackers alone; women in the Word and in community are united and able to stand firm. To learn more about Kristina, please visit her recently founded Share & Company Publishing House http://seymourkristina.wix.