Because I Love You
The pain began when I popped the chewing gum in my mouth. I thought I broke a tooth. Long story short, two rounds of antibiotics and consults with a dentist and endodontist resulted in a root canal and crown. Yesterday I was sitting in the dentist chair for the making of the crown. Dr. Paul, my dentist for 40 years, could have retired years ago except for one thing – he loves his work. He said, “It is why I get out of bed in the morning, and if I ever stop loving my work, tell me to stop.” He shared that he watched another dentist’s crown technique on YouTube the night before because he is always looking for ways to improve. He teaches at Tufts Dental School as well. No wonder he made the top 100 dentists list.
He gave me some Novocain even though there was no root left in the tooth. He said he would be poking around the gum line. I said, “I know, pain-free dentistry.” He said, “Because I love you.” I love you – now that is the ultimate reason. What a gift I received, and what a gift Dr. Paul is to his patients and his profession. While it is comforting to be attended to by a very competent doctor, it is a joy to be loved.
I can relate to Dr. Paul. I love my work and the people I interact with. I do not know if Dr. Paul would refer to his work as a ministry, but I do know he views his work as both a vocation and avocation.
The words “because I love you” have lingered within me. I now have a “heart” understanding of what St. Paul talked about in Colossians – always working as if working for the Lord. Because I love you, I will sacrifice, remain humble, seek your comfort, understand your needs, listen, have empathy, forgive, and ask forgiveness. But most of all I will look for the Christo Logos, for Jesus within you, and pray that you see him in me.
Imagine for a moment if all our human interactions were “because I love you.” From families to workplaces, “because I love you” would transform the world. It is so radically simple yet so hard to do. It is so hard because I must make a choice each day, and perhaps each moment of each day. Because I love you is the cross Jesus asks me to pick up so that I can follow him. The hard part is not picking up the cross, it is placing down my self-centeredness.