When's the last time you just dropped by to say "Hi" to your dentist?
This could be the shortest post in the history of the internet. After all, we all know the answer to this.
Question - When's the last time you just dropped by to say "Hi" to your dentist?
Answer - Never.
That's it. Done. Time to move onto some other question. Some other topic. Some other problem plaguing the planet.
No one in the history of the world ever just stopped in to say "Hi" to their dentist. I'd say that the opposite is true - that people don't go to their dentist because they're scared. They get close to the office and then just hit the gas and keep on going.
Sure, you might stop by to drop something off, make a payment, or to pick someone up. But no one, and I mean no one just goes into their dentist's office just to see how they're doing.
Why is this?
After all, we want them to see us in a hurry when we're in pain. We want them to immediately stop what they're doing to see us in our time of suffering. They should be willing to cancel any and all other appointments when we've got a problem that only they can fix.
It's really very simple. When we hurt, we really don't care about anyone else. Does that sound too harsh? Too judgemental. Or is it just too honest for us to hear? When we're in pain, all we can think about is our problems. Our agony. How it's touching us.
But, if we're going to get better, we've got to do something about it. Just ignoring the problem isn't going to change anything. We've got to go to someone who can do something about it. When it comes to our teeth, that's our dentist. This is the first step towards healing for our teeth.
It's also the first step towards hope. Hope doesn't come from inside. We can't just think, "OK, make myself hopeful" and then hope magically appears. No, hope always, always, always comes from the outside.
I think this is why Jesus said, "Come to me" followed by "I will give you rest"(1). We need to come to someone else. We need to look outside ourselves for hope. And, for my money, Jesus is the one and only hopeful source who never disappoints.
Our job is to go to Jesus and unload our burdens, problems, pain, and fears onto. His response is to take us up into his arms. Comfort us. And to start the healing process for our soul.
He sure sounds like someone I'd like to just dropped by to say "Hi" to.
(1) Matthew 11:28-30