An Intimate Moment with Nicodemus
I read this chapter early Thursday morning and then walked away from it to allow it sink in for awhile. At first, I thought the chapter was pretty good, but I didn't really see anything that pulled me into it like a lot of the other chapters have.
Then, today, two things happened. First, I started the morning at the dentist's office to finally repair a badly damaged tooth. It had two different fillings in it from childhood and they had both worn away enough that now a third cavity was forming - leaving the tooth in real danger of dying. I made the appointment once the new calendar year rolled around (thus, upping my benefits from 80% to 90% coverage!) and today I went in, knowing full well that whatever they did to this tooth it was going to be mucho dinero. At the very least it was going to be some repair work and a crown (can anybody say $1,000?) and if a root canal was also needed, then chuck another $895 bucks onto that first grand. And yes, I have insurance, but it only covers the first $1,000 of major work per year and so that buys the crown and then I'm on my own to pay for the rest of the work. So, lying in that chair waiting for the novacaine to kick in, I thought about how I needed a miracle today and I started to pray.
I prayed HARD. Okay, God, you tell me to pray about everything, so here goes...How about sparing me from a root canal today? I used to never pray about such simple things, but hey, now I know better. (You can't get a "yes" if you don't ask the question, right?)
I sat in the chair praying and while I did I looked at the three scenic photographs that are on the wall directly in front of my oddly shaped dental chair. Each one is a picture of a place that my dentist has been to and today I was in the room with photographs from the Grand Tetons, The Grand Canyon and a picture of the Anasazi Indian village ruins in Arizona. These just happen to be three of my most favorite places in all the world.
I let my mind dig deeply into the picture of the Grand Canyon and realized that when you first look at it, it draws your eye up, out of the shadows in the foreground and back to the sun and clouds of the horizon. I closed my eyes between prayers and then would reopen them again, and yes, the same thing happened again...my eyes would originally start by seeing the darker areas but then would be pulled up to the top where the light shone in.
And that's when I knew that not only was God in the room with me, but He was also showing me something about the chapter I had been ruminating on for the past day. Nicodemus came to meet with Jesus in the dark of night. They spent quite awhile together, talking and discussing matters, so its probably not a stretch to think that Nicodemus left at dawn as it was making itself known on the horizon. Nicodemus came to Jesus in the dark (both from a time standpoint and also from one of knowledge) and left heading towards the light...
Even in the darkness, you cannot help but be drawn into the light of the man known as Jesus of Nazareth. You might start out in the darkness, but your mind would quickly draw you into the light. I think it was instinctual - we seem to know truth when we hear it - if, indeed, we choose to really listen. It's part of God's good grace (I think) that we can be in total darkness and still see our way to His light.
About that time, the dentist came in, got started working on the tooth and then told me it had a lot of decay but it didn't appear to need a root canal and that the tooth could certainly "be saved."
It was no surprise to me. If I could be saved, surely so could my tooth...
Then, today, two things happened. First, I started the morning at the dentist's office to finally repair a badly damaged tooth. It had two different fillings in it from childhood and they had both worn away enough that now a third cavity was forming - leaving the tooth in real danger of dying. I made the appointment once the new calendar year rolled around (thus, upping my benefits from 80% to 90% coverage!) and today I went in, knowing full well that whatever they did to this tooth it was going to be mucho dinero. At the very least it was going to be some repair work and a crown (can anybody say $1,000?) and if a root canal was also needed, then chuck another $895 bucks onto that first grand. And yes, I have insurance, but it only covers the first $1,000 of major work per year and so that buys the crown and then I'm on my own to pay for the rest of the work. So, lying in that chair waiting for the novacaine to kick in, I thought about how I needed a miracle today and I started to pray.
I prayed HARD. Okay, God, you tell me to pray about everything, so here goes...How about sparing me from a root canal today? I used to never pray about such simple things, but hey, now I know better. (You can't get a "yes" if you don't ask the question, right?)
I sat in the chair praying and while I did I looked at the three scenic photographs that are on the wall directly in front of my oddly shaped dental chair. Each one is a picture of a place that my dentist has been to and today I was in the room with photographs from the Grand Tetons, The Grand Canyon and a picture of the Anasazi Indian village ruins in Arizona. These just happen to be three of my most favorite places in all the world.
I let my mind dig deeply into the picture of the Grand Canyon and realized that when you first look at it, it draws your eye up, out of the shadows in the foreground and back to the sun and clouds of the horizon. I closed my eyes between prayers and then would reopen them again, and yes, the same thing happened again...my eyes would originally start by seeing the darker areas but then would be pulled up to the top where the light shone in.
And that's when I knew that not only was God in the room with me, but He was also showing me something about the chapter I had been ruminating on for the past day. Nicodemus came to meet with Jesus in the dark of night. They spent quite awhile together, talking and discussing matters, so its probably not a stretch to think that Nicodemus left at dawn as it was making itself known on the horizon. Nicodemus came to Jesus in the dark (both from a time standpoint and also from one of knowledge) and left heading towards the light...
Even in the darkness, you cannot help but be drawn into the light of the man known as Jesus of Nazareth. You might start out in the darkness, but your mind would quickly draw you into the light. I think it was instinctual - we seem to know truth when we hear it - if, indeed, we choose to really listen. It's part of God's good grace (I think) that we can be in total darkness and still see our way to His light.
About that time, the dentist came in, got started working on the tooth and then told me it had a lot of decay but it didn't appear to need a root canal and that the tooth could certainly "be saved."
It was no surprise to me. If I could be saved, surely so could my tooth...
posted by HeyJules at
3:25 PM
2 Comments:
Jules, what great imagery! Don't you love these little moments with the Lord when He shows you how everyday 'stuff' relates to Him?
And, yes, if you can be saved that ol' tooth can be too! ;p
I hope you feel tons better soon!
By
Pilot Mom, at 4:12 PM
Yeah, Claire, I really do. Even when I was in my "out of sorts" period with God and religion, I still would get insights like this from Him - things that would remind me the picture was bigger than what I was seeing - and I always cherished everyone of them. I'm so glad He continues to communicate with me in this way. I think if more people would stop and look for the evidence of God in all the little things that happen in life we'd have trouble building enough churches to hold them all.
By
HeyJules, at 6:38 PM
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