Loose Teeth And A Golden Palomino

So there I sat yesterday afternoon, merrily munching away on a delicious pork roast sandwich when suddenly “Eeyowie!”  The pain shot through the rood of my mouth as I heard and felt a slight snap.  Then when I gingerly moved my tongue around in my mouth I came to the frustrating realization that I now was the proud owner of a loose tooth!  Instantly I thought back to the times in that little white house next to the Vets building parking lot where we lived when I was but a wee little lad, when I would discover a loose tooth and then wiggle and waggle it until I finally had the victory and separation ensued!  Then the tooth would go under the pillow and the next day I would find a nice shiny coin in its place.

With that thought I gleefully began to wiggle the tooth when I quickly stopped and realized the current consequences of such an action.  At my age that tooth was not going to grow back… and I probably wasn’t going to find a shiny coin under my pillow in the morning either!  Then as if I was reading a news flash in the banner under the picture on our local sports channel on TV, I saw my future spelled out in front of me!  “Oh my gosh… I’m going to have a gaping hole in the front of my mouth when I smile!  I’m gonna look like Gabby Hayes on an old Roy Roger movie!  Worse yet, I am going to have to go to the dentist… YIKES!  Oh no… I can’t afford all that work to be done!  What am I going to do?  What am I going to do?  Maybe if I never smile again it will be okay…”

Now, you have to understand that all those thoughts ran through my head in a matter of but a nanosecond!   Then when I finally held up the stop sign (as I did as a member of the Traffic Patrol in elementary school!) those wild and nonsense thoughts screeched to a halt before me.  Then came the voice of reason.  “Okay, so you got a loose tooth Jim, no big deal!  You've got a GREAT BIG God that can take care of it, if you’ll let Him!”  That familiar voice instantly put out the fires of fear and hopelessness and opened the door of communication between heaven and my need.  Then the logical and peaceful answers began to manifest themselves in my mind and a course of simple action was set forth.

Have you ever been in a place like that?  When suddenly something out of the ordinary arises, you’re tired, you lean toward panic and then self pity arrives on the scene and it seems like it is just one more thing to go wrong?  We all do, but we don’t have to stay in the wagon as it teeters on the edge of the cliff!  What would happen if you were in a Roy Rodgers movie?  Well, Roy would come galloping up on Trigger, he would sweep you out of the wagon just as the last wagon wheel cleared the edge and you would ride off into the sunset, safe and secure from all life’s harm!  It is kind of symbolic of God and His riding to your rescue.

I was reading in Lamentations 3:22-23 this morning where the writer is praising and thanking the Lord proclaiming “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.  They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.”  (NKJV)  So… in reality, the trouble you are facing may be another thing that has gone wrong, but His compassion for you never fails and His mercy is fresh and new each day.  The well of His love and care for you never runs dry!

As I walked from the kitchen table into the study a few moments ago I had to laugh as I wiggled my tooth and recalled my reaction yesterday.  God’s got it all under control.  He is never late, He always provides my every need and “the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting.”  (Psalm 103:17 KJV)

I remember watching an interview with Roy Rodgers many years ago when he was giving a tour of his museum which was located in Victorville, California at the time.  He was a great collector of just about everything he ever had and had opened the museum in order to display his collection.  He joked that when he passed on that he wanted to be stuffed and placed along side Trigger and Nellybelle, his jeep from his long running TV series, so that people could remember the simpler times when cowboy heroes always thwarted the bad guys.

Well, you know what?  Those simple times still prevail as Jesus always prevails over the bad guys!  Whether it be a loose tooth or a devastating attack on your health, His sudden arrival on the scene with the swirl of dust and rearing pony will assure safety, the right answer, healing or what ever else the situation calls for.  Have a wonderful day!  Stay in tune to His Word and keep asking yourself… “What am I expecting today?”