On Monday, I went to be treated at the hospital. And not just any hospital.
On Monday, I went to the Hospital of Dread and Doom.
On Monday, I went to the Dental Hospital.
I’m sure not everyone feels as I do about teeth, but I am not a brave man in the dentist’s chair. I once went nine years without that pleasure, and I have to tell you, people, that’s a bad idea.
Because last Autumn I found myself in a lot of pain. And when I say a lot of pain, I mean a lot of pain. I had an infection caused by a cracked molar and it was horrible.
So I went to the emergency dentist who was marvellous in the face of my cowering fear, but the tooth was a mess and she couldn’t remove it all. So since then, I’ve been waiting to have the rest of it taken out.
And on Monday it was.
And guess what? It turns out that this not a story of despair, terror and pain after all.
Instead, it’s a story about friendly, polite people at reception; about a dental nurse who made me feel comfortable and relaxed; and about a dental surgeon who was calm, professional and undertook the procedure with consummate skill.
It is literally the least dramatic story ever.
In the bible, God’s people put their trust in him, as one verse says, ‘whenever they were afraid’ – and they were rewarded by God’s faithfulness. But although the Bible headlines are the fearful, Hollywood-dramatic moments – David and Goliath, Noah’s Ark, the crossing of the Red Sea – the underlying thread of the book is of God’s simple reliability, his trustworthiness, not just to kings and prophets but to everyone. All the time. Whether they noticed it or not.
Now I’m not saying that Kings College Dental Hospital and its staff are like God. Yet when I was afraid and in need there they were, ready to go and utterly trustworthy.
So this is a Pause about having to trust someone. And it’s a Pause about something trustworthy, skilled and kind. And it’s a Pause about gratitude, because in the NHS I reckon we have a great deal to be grateful for.
So, thank you very much indeed.
The first proper, public argument I ever had with an adult was with the dentist. Story for another time.