No Cavities!

The other day I went to the dentist with my daughter. Usually, the dentist isn't so bad. I get a quick cleaning and I'm in and out within a half hour. This time, however, I had dual appointments with my daughter.

And talk about the fretting!

She's had a few cavities in the past, and considering that money can be tight at times, I really didn't want to have to shell out for another filling...or two. So, my husband and I said that if a cavity was found then she'd get no sugar until her next checkup in six months. A hard discipline to sick to? You bet! On the flipside, if she didn't have any cavities then I'd do the usual and take her for ice cream afterwards.

Needless to say, there was a lot of brushing, flossing, and mouthwashing going on as the days passed and it got down to the wire.

When we pulled into a parking space outside the dentist's office, she said that she'd been praying a lot and tithing, so God would listen and there wouldn't be any cavities.

She made me laugh. I explained to her that we also have to do our parts.

And isn't that the way it is? We can pray for anything under the sun, but unless we go out there and be obedient and do our parts, He's not going to honor something that doesn't come from our hearts. Either it comes from greed, selfishness, or something else that just sets us on the wrong course. God isn't into making deals.

I explained this to her, like I've explained it to her many times in the past. Does she get it? Sometimes, I think, but how many times has God had to redirect our selfish desires. Many times on my part!

We walked away from the dentist and she had a clean bill of oral health. No cavities! And that's when she said, "Prayer really works!"

Yes, it does.

Then we went and got ice cream.