From young, Joseph had the tendency to pop in a sweet behind my back. Over time, he has developed not only a liking for sweets, but for chocolates and sweetened juices too. Every night before he goes to bed, he would indulge in 2 to 3 bottles of high sugar-content soya milk, before dozing off to sleep. Being No 2, I tend to be less strict with him and did not insist that he should brush his teeth after each intake.
Two months ago, I noticed to my dismay that he had tooth decay in one of his premolars. For the following few Saturdays, we had to bring Joseph to the dentist in KL:-
First Visit
Dr Eric managed to fix one of his premolars, but there were still 4 more to go! Towards the end, Joseph was whimpering.
Second Visit
Dr Elizabeth did two fillings and he was hysterical!
Third Visit
He was crying uncontrollably even before his name was called. Visit was rescheduled.
Fourth Visit
Sunday with a dilemma: to visit the dentist or to attend church? Fearing by now that his decay could have worsened, we decided to visit the dentist and pray that we would still be in time for church!
This time, mummy decided to pray for Joseph while at the same time keep reassuring the fearful boy that God will give him courage to sit on that incline chair. “God, I felt silly praying to you about Joseph’s teeth but there is no one else that I can turn to! If he doesn’t get his teeth fixed today, we would have to come back another week!” I was near to desperation as the number of hours that we have clocked at the dentist has become incredible. “And by the way, I would really love to attend church, as I have missed church for the past 2 months! I missed being in your presence with your people!” I pleaded to our Heavenly Father.
When we reached the clinic, we were disappointed to learn that the doctor was still on his way from home! It was already 10am and with 5 patients before us, it would be a miracle that we could get out of the clinic before 11am and to get to church in time. 10.15am, I saw Dr Khoo rushing into the clinic. “God, please help him to speed up fixing his patients’ teeth!” I prayed again. Within 20 minutes, 3 patients had had their turns. When Joseph name was called, I hurriedly got him onto that chair despite his constant whining. Dr Khoo came and inspected his teeth gently. I told him that Joseph didn’t like the drilling and the suction. To my surprise, Dr Khoo started to dig out the teeth “worms” using his metal hook apparatus. “I am standing in for Dr Eric who is supposed to be on duty today. Anyhow, I am now extracting the rotten bits manually, so that he is more comfortable.” He explained. Each time when some white bits was extracted, he would show Joseph and say “Oh, look at these nasty worms! There are so many of them! But don’t worry, they are now gone!” Much to my surprise, Joseph was able to sit through the entire session without putting up a struggle!
At that instance, I realized that God had heard my prayer and sent Dr Khoo (a speedy dentist) to the rescue! If it had been Eric, I was certain that Joe would have turned hysterical! By 11am, we were out of the clinic and on our way to church! I could almost hear God telling me “Fee, I love Joseph more than you do. Next time, don’t hesitate in asking me to help Joseph! I love to help little children! They are my treasure!” And of course, I have no doubt that God loves me too, as I get to worship in church on that day too! How wonderful is His love for us!
Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14
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