I had my DNA tested a while back and discovered some roots I had no idea existed. I knew about the Scotch-Irish and Norwegian roots. Dad always said we had Cherokee, which turned out not to be true. The unexpected DNA was the trace amount of Jewish, but the surprise was Polynesian, who'd of thunked it! It causes one to ponder what are my roots and what condition are they in?
Recently I discovered dental issues that needed taken care of. After going in for a root canal I mentioned a couple teeth that had root canals and were giving me problems. The Doctor thought that odd as teeth with root canals shouldn't be a problem. He took an amazing 3D xray and diagnosed infection at the base of the dead roots that was causing bone loss. Needless to say not a good prognosis.
The procedure to correct the problem was quite spendy, well into the thousands of dollars, especially in Alaska. With no dental insurance getting it done near home was the last option. Several people recommended going to Mexico, something I really, really did not want to do. Fortunately my dentists receptionist's son had graduated from dental school near where my sister lived in Arizona. The expense was a lot less so off to Arizona I went.
Little Miss OCD that I am proceded to fret over the details. Very clearly I heard the Father's voice speak to my soul; I got this Rhonda, let me do this for you!" I wrestled with letting go and letting God. He won out as I surrendered to trusting His ways are better than mine. Step by step He proved faithful to His word, that testimony I'll save for another time. The testimony in this piece focuses on root work.
The plan for dealing with the root problem was to start by extracting the worst of the two offending teeth we knew had "issues." Molar #19 was my first root canal thirty years ago. At that time I'd opted not to have a crown put on, in retrospect not the best decision. Fifteen years ago it broke off into pieces, had to basically be glued back together and crowned. The crown was resting on an amalgam filling which caused amalgam to rub off and permanently "tatoo" my gum grey.
The day of the extraction arrived. Nick and Logan, my very capable dental students, (supervised by a Dentist) reassured me they had consulted with the instructors and should they run into any problems the oral surgeon would be there at a moment's notice. The chair was raised to where they stood at either side. Nick began the numbing process, it took an extra shot to get me as numb as I wanted.
A rubber dam was placed in my mouth and as the procedure began they explained every step. Nick worked on the extraction as Logan assisted. I heard them say the crown had come off, then only part of the tooth. At that point they called in the instructor dentist. He suggested a method & tools for extracting the remaining potion of the tooth. They followed his instructions and part of the tooth came out. They called him back in, he recommended the next thing to try. More tooth came out but there was a small, stubborn piece of the root that didn't want to be removed.
Again the dentist came in, he advised it would take bone removal to get all the root out. By this time my jaw was sore from being open so long. Giving it thier due diligence they still couldn't get that little bit of root out. The dentist was called in and while he finished taking out the root, Logan massaged my jaw. They had to call for more bone graft material. As I lay there waiting I asked God what lesson was there to learn from this difficult extraction.
I saw Logan and Nick as the disciples sent out two by two. They encouraged one another's strengths and what one didn't know the other did. They worked well together. The Dentist/Instructor reminded me of how the Holy Spirit works. He is called our teacher and as such does a beautiful job of instructing and then leaving us to apply what's been learned. We can call on Him often and when the need arises He'll step in and show us how to finish what we've begun, and does it so graciously.
The most important lesson is when root work is being done make sure it is all removed. For if one teeny, tiny little piece is left it will contaminate and infect what surrounds it. Which reminds me of how a root of bitterness defiles many. Once the root is removed new material must be put in it's place to restore and complete the healing process. Old things must pass away so all things can become new!
I think of the "roots" in my life God has removed; which should produce new fruitful heart growth. Those "roots" I self-righteously and zealously cling to invariably inhibits Christ-like heart growth. Ultimately that's what I want my roots to grow is healthy Christ-likeness, not the hodge podge of what my DNA roots revealed.
