BY DAWN REED
A dental office is made up of two parts: the front and the back. The front half is where paperwork is done, appointments are made, money is transacted. The back is where the action is: teeth are cleaned, cavities are filled, teeth are extracted, and where we work on braces and Invisalign.
At our office, Anita is the boss of the back – well, the supervisor. She is a genius and part ninja, a MacGyver who can do anything. I wish her family could see her in action! It is not uncommon to see her with a wrench, screwdriver or hammer in her hand, ready to fix whatever needs fixin’. Staying cool as a cucumber, she takes care of problems with technology when the computers are acting up or the headphones need to be resynced. (It is a struggle for a baby boomer.)
Anita knows all about every procedure and what is needed for each one. She can find anything, including that certain braided ortho wire our doctor suddenly wants to use and knows where the posts are when a tooth needs a little extra support.
We call out to Anita all day long. (She can probably hear our voices in her sleep.) Sometimes she only needs to walk up and suddenly everything will be found or miraculously begin to work. I call her “Mom” when that happens, though she is 20 years younger.
While I put lots of faith in Anita, she is not my main source of strength. I cry out to my Heavenly Father way before I get to work and then all through the day:
- For wisdom
- For the words to speak or not to speak
- For my mind to be sharp
- To be kind
- To communicate well, even if it is difficult
- To have compassion
- To love unconditionally
Often, I pray for children or teenagers as I work with them. Most of the time, they won’t ever know I prayed for them – to be strong and wise, to choose good friends, etc.
I hope if you work outside the home, you have an Anita. A finder of lost things, fixer extraordinaire and all with a smile. But more than an Anita, I hope you have a relationship with a Father in heaven who wants to help you as you go through every single day.
Psalm 145:18 is a good reminder: “The Lord is near to all who call on Him…”
Here are a few more:
Psalm 25:4-5: “Show me Your ways, Lord, teach me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long.”
Psalm 61:1-2: “Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to You. I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”
Psalm 18:6: “In my distress, I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice and my cry to Him reached His ears.” (I always say, “He’s got some mighty big ears.”
Hannah cried out to God. David often did. Moses, too. I most certainly will.
First Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Pray without ceasing.” I’m pretty sure that one applies to dentistry.