"Do you know how to pull a loose tooth?"
I shrugged my shoulders, "Yeah, I know how to pull a loose tooth. I mean...I guess, why?"
Mom continued, "My son has a loose tooth, and he was wondering if you could pull it. It's really hurting him." I thought: Tim Van Arsdale DMD to the rescue. This could be fun.
In a confident Dr. House-like-tone I raised my eyebrow and asked, "Where's the patient?"
"Over there," the mother said pointing to a seven year old sitting sideways in one of our comfy red chairs.
I walked around the counter to the chair and sat on the coffee table.
"What's your name little man?"
"Jason."
"I hear you've got a loose tooth. Can I take a look?"
Jason opened wide and pointed to his front left Incisor. (You didn't know I had a technical understanding of dental terminology...did you?)
"I see it," I said. "Can I touch it?"
The boy nodded his head and in I went.
I gently wiggled the achy Incisor with my index finger. It was loose alright.
"I can feel it. But I don't think it's ready to come out. Eat two apples and come back to see me tomorrow. Wanna' popsicle?"
"Uh-huh," the boy replied. Then he pushed hard on his tooth with his bottom lip, "I move it wif my lipths like this."
Now...I've been asked a lot of questions while serving at the cafe, and have experienced some fascinating conversations, but this one was a first. This woman is raising "Jason" by herself. She doesn't have a husband. "Jason" doesn't have a Dad. A father to comfort him, laugh with him, and do fun dad stuff like tie a string around his tooth and the nearest doorknob and count 3...2...1!
It was so cool to be called upon, to be trusted, to be considered a safe, faithful advocate to help in their time of need (although I never did get to pull out the tooth). Too many times in this life, we rely on unreliable people and things in times of trouble. Doing so can be absolutely crippling.
I'm not a great Bible scholar, but I found a verse that can encourage each of us, "Like a bad tooth or a lame foot is reliance on the unfaithful in times of trouble" (Proverbs 25:19).
Who or what is your "bad tooth?" Are you relying on yourself? An unwise colleague? An addiction?
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