For many years I have had a problem tooth area. Last year it got bad enough that I went to the dentist to get it fixed. This young dentist not only didn’t fix the problem, she made it worse.
She recommended I go to an oral surgeon and have the tooth pulled; a perfectly good tooth. She referred me to and made an appointment for me to see a young dentist in Brentwood. I had no intention to do what she suggested.
I then consulted with an oral surgeon of my choosing who said he would be happy to pull the tooth for a $1000. He recommended I make an appointment with a periodontist to see if he might help. I made ana appointment to see a periodontist for assessment and treatment in hopes he might be an answer. As time passed, I realized his treatment had done nothing to cure the problem.
One and half years after seeing the first dentist, I landed in a new dental chair with an old seasoned dentist who diagnosed the situation and recommended an “old-fashioned” filing with a metal he could easily manipulate. The cost was $150, and it would take about an hour.
I left his office and was thrilled about this new solution to an old problem. As I got out of my car to go into another office building, I heard “working it through.”
So many times our first mistake is doing what a health care professional tells us to do without giving the decision some significant thought and prayer. We jump to their first suggestion, and we are the ones who suffer because of it.
We do this in most areas of life. It seems to be one solution, so we make a quick decision to go with that decision even though it doesn’t feel right and may even feel down-right wrong. We keep having surgeries we don’t need. Staying in relationships that are over. Engaging in activities that are killing us or crippling us, and we keep pressing on into our abyss of self-destruction. Seldom do we ever “work it through.”
We mess up our lives and then blame it on someone else.
Many times we find ourselves in a quandary looking for a right solution. Sometimes finding the right solution will take a “working through process.” I have an office situation where the answer is not clear. I need to give this situation some time and “work it through” to a right conclusion. I must wait and see how the matter falls. (Ruth 3:11) In the book of Ruth in the Bible, Naomi tells Ruth “to wait and see how the matter falls” after Ruth spent the night on the threshing floor with Boaz. Meaning, wait and see what God does in this situation.
I think we would all be better off if we would do the following:
- Slow down when looking for answers to complex problems.
- Check and see if your spirit “bears witness” to what you are being told to do.
- Wait before the Lord.
- Stop being in a hurry for the answer. I was told to have foot surgery years ago. I said “NO!” I later found out the doctor was a quack. I was told to have rotator cuff surgery, and I said “NO!” One year later the Lord totally healed my arm. (I AM NOT RECOMMENDING THIS FOR YOU!) You must seek God and find His answers for you.
- You will know when you have arrived at the right solution.
- Use common sense and wisdom approaching the situation.
Learn to “work it through” when looking for answers to complex problems–even simple ones! Watch and wait! See how the matter falls.