Recently I drove to the Chicago area to visit my regular dentist. Actually there’s nothing regular about him, since he’s a specialist in root canals. Normal mouths don’t have a “regular” root canal man, and I’m not proud to say this procedure was my sixth.
Admittedly, the process is less of an ordeal than it used to be in the ‘70’s with those pin-like screws being hand-turned into the nerve and then yanked out again and again. Today’s specialist labored behind magnifying goggles and worked on my tooth with power tools through the eye of a microscope.
After 90 minutes of having had my mouth open, I was finally standing at the front desk with the doctor. “Here are two packets of quadruple strength ibuprofen. Take one right now. Also, I’m giving you a prescription for Vicodin, should you need it. And because we found so much infection, you’ll have to take antibiotics for a while.” He shook my hand and told me to have a nice afternoon.
I thought about my poor, battered tooth. A back molar, it had faithfully done its job without complaint until a couple of months ago when a dull ache started calling for my attention. When I didn’t respond, the ache grew worse and swelling started in the gums, along with occasional sharp pangs. While I was still thinking I hadn’t flossed well enough, an abscess had taken hold. And today the raw truth came out.
Nothing stays hidden forever. God says he’ll bring everything into the open one day, all of our secrets. Nothing escapes his notice, and eventually he’ll prove it to us by showing us (and others) what’s been going on “in the dark.” How goofy to think we could ever pull the wool over God’s eyes or sneak under his radar.
Just recently I learned a friend’s husband had taken up with a woman at his office. He’d kept the relationship under wraps until recently when, against his will, the truth came out, breaking my friend’s heart and destroying their marriage. He thought he could live with one foot in each world, keeping secrets from both women.
To live uprightly when no one’s watching is God’s challenge for all of us every day. Just as he saw my abscess hiding deep in my jaw in its early stages, he sees every choice we make and each action we take, even “in the dark.” For some, the consequences of revealed secrets may be so severe, they’ll long for the simplicity of 90 minutes with the root canal doctor.
“Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their work in darkness and think, ‘Who sees us? Who will know’?” (Isaiah 29:15)
Gmorning Margaret,
That was a great and true article. I too like your friend discovered 4 years ago that my husband was living a bouble life. We seperated for 10 months and then reconciled. About 2 years into it something didn’t seem right and crying out to the lord many times I prayed “Lord if Bob is doing the things he did b-4 I would rather you bring him home and I would do without him instead of going through a divorce and living with all that would bring.
A year after many of those prayers Bob was given a 3 month life expectancy and 2 1/2 months later he passsed on. I had the blessing of caring for him those 21/2 months and now I am a 55 year old widow struggeling with loneliness and being single.
I have prayed for a godly husband and recently joined Christian Mingle but am finding that it’s not going anywhere.
Do you know of a widows club/gathering for widows and widowers as I would not want to marry a divorced man.
I would appreciate your response.
Thank you and blessings,
Catherine
Another good writeup! Thanks
Knowing how well you are with consolation in this area, Margaret, I couldn’t help but respond to Catherine’s comment:
The Lord has promised to be a husband to the widow, and if she will allow Him to do so, He will fill that void in her life, until ‘ HE – SENDS HER A NEW PARTNER’. He sees her tears, knows her fears, and will meet her every need. Realizing that there are some women out there that have NEVER BEEN ALONE, and don’t know how to live without a man in their life, it is not easy – as you know, but can be so very rewarding. I encourage those women to ‘live their lives as if they just graduated from college’ – pursue interests they may have set aside, if they don’t have to work, do volunteer work, helping others during this time takes your mind off the situation. I can be very rewarding. God bless each one of you. You may be on your own – but you’re never alone!
Me – divorced twice, widowed for almost 19 1/2 yrs, and God has been the best husband I’ve EVER had!
Right now I am teaching 1 Corinthians,
and in it Paul is addressing the obvious and hidden sins, and how they should be dealt with in the church (local congregation).. Oh the damage that secret sins can do in a church or a marriage or a life. “A little leaven leavens the whole lump.” Paul’s point is the purity of the church! I have a responsibility to God, my church and my spouse confess and repent of any secret sins. If every church member is just like me, what kind of a church will this church be.