Too busy to pause – that’s how my Thursday began. What seemed like a typical busy day quickly unfolds into a sacred moment where human effort meets divine intervention.
When a patient arrives at the PAMAS wellness center unable to open her mouth, a simple request for help turns into a life-changing experience — not just for the patient, but for the nurse, too.
Ate Lors? Are you busy? The sweet tone of her question came through clearly on the dentist’s voice message.
The Dilemma
It was Thursday. A patient was at the wellness center for dental services, but she was unable to open her mouth. It would, of course, be quite impracticable to provide dental care without access to the patient’s teeth.
The open computer in front of me had layers of documents piled on top of one another, all requiring time and attention. I glanced at my to-do list and then my watch.
Yes… I am busy, I thought.
The dentist suspected that the problem might be TMJ and possibly could be helped by massage. Would I come check the patient and perhaps give her some massage?
I briefly pondered the possibilities. I could respond that I was very sorry but also very busy… yet the patient needed help. We could not just turn the patient away. I could try to delegate the task to someone else… but perhaps the case would need particular assessment and treatment techniques that would be difficult to delegate. If that happens, I would need to go see the patient anyway. I rejected that idea as well. Alternatively, I could surrender my formidable to-do list to the Master of the work, and just go see the patient.
It was clear to me what I needed to do.
Never Too Busy for a Miracle
Arriving at the wellness center I could see that it was what is called in the Philippines “brown out”. The power which frequently fluctuates, was completely off. The light from the window above accentuated the features of the patient who was still seated in the dental chair. On her face was something akin to sadness maybe a lack of hope. Dandruff or a fungal skin condition — I wasn’t sure which — was evident under the black, oily hair. Cigarette smoke and body odor combined themselves into a distinctly pungent aroma.
It had been about two months since the patient had started having difficulty opening her mouth. For one week the problem had been significantly worse. She could feel and hear popping sounds when she would try to move her jaw. The pain was on both sides.
I assessed the jaw muscles. Yes, massage might help. I suggested that we start with a few minutes of massage in the dental chair. If needed, we could move to the hydro/massage room later. The patient agreed.
My prayer before the massage was one I frequently pray for patients — that the Lord would touch them Himself with His healing hand. As a therapist, I knew massage and hydro might help this patient, but I also knew that after two months of deficits, a few minutes of massage would not resolve the problem.
I silently talked to the Lord as I worked. I was curious what God would do. We will probably need to use hydro and continue the massage next door, I mused. And it would be okay. God could more than take care of my to-do list. My heart was free and happy in surrender to His to-do list.
After seven minutes or so, I asked the woman how her jaw felt. She gingerly tried to open her mouth. There was improvement… slight improvement. It was about what could be expected, but not what was needed.
The woman, however, did not just close her mouth again. In fact, slowly, tremblingly, she continued to open her mouth. Gradually, it opened wider… and wider… and wider!
Pretty soon my own jaw was gaping pretty wide. As the dentist and I watched, the woman opened her mouth nearly to the normal, full extent. Her jaw was shaking. Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to overflow. A most beautiful smile replaced the look of hopelessness and sadness that had been there.
God did it. It was not the massage. It was certainly not me and my to-do list. God had reached down into the difficulties of this woman’s life, and He had touched her with His healing hand.
I was just filled with joy. God had known what was on my list that day, and it wasn’t anything nearly so exciting as seeing Him at work in a person’s life. God did the work Himself. He didn’t need me to do it, but He had a precious experience He wanted to share in the process… with me. He wanted to refresh my soul by seeing Him at work once again. I was so delighted. My to-do list — which, just a few minutes before, had seemed momentous and mountainous — now seemed to shrink by comparison. The Master’s plans were of course bigger and better… so much better!
And what if I had been “too busy”?
