Nitrous Oxide and Happy Days
Yesterday I had my wisdom teeth removed plus an infected tooth plus an extra tooth that hadn't even shown up in the X-Ray but was located right under my back left wisdom tooth. The oral surgeon only used local anesthesia so that means that I was still conscious when they did it. But the whole experience was not that bad, thanks to the wonderful invention of nitrous oxide, or "laughing gas." I think the oral surgeon used a bit more than my dentist normally does because I was literally laughing before they had even shot me up with novacain. When they asked me if I was ready, I said, "Yeah...huhuhuhu..." The doctor responded, "I've never seen anybody this happy about it." At one point during the procedure I literally had to stop the doctor because I felt like I was getting a little too happy--like my brain was about to explode. But everything turned out fine and so far the recovery process is going great. Thanks to anyone who was/is praying.
But as I was sitting there artificially happy in the dental chair , my mind was turned to even happier times. To keep my mind off the horrid things that were going on in my mouth, I chose to reflect on the two wonderful weeks that I have spent at Survival Camp over the past two summers.
For those of you who do not know what Survival Camp is, it is technically the summer camp of the high school group at the First Baptist Church of Los Altos but effectively the best week of the summer or even year for anyone who attends. Survival Camp mixes amazing times of fun and friends with awesome times of worship and learning from the Bible. But I have found myself many times, especially this year when I cannot attend Camp because my term limit has expired, asking the question, "Why can't every day be like Survival Camp?" To an extent, it is true that not every day can be. Let me put it this way: You are not going to wake up every day at Lake Camanche after sleeping under the stars and then spend the day eating three of the best meals of your life, having two awesome worship services, playing cleverly contrived convivial games, tubing, playing poker, and hanging with your friends. Not every day will be so packed full of fun.
However, as I have thought about this question of every day being like Survival Camp, I have come to the conclusion that there are definitely many ways that it can be. When you are at Survival Camp, especially when it is your last year, you have this mentality that your are going to enjoy life down to the last minute. You know that there is no time to waste on complaining or feeling down. You soak up the good times with your friends, the powerful times of singing, and the truths of God's word. Although the circumstances of life will not always be like Survival Camp, we can certainly live every day with this mindset. Solomon knew this. In Ecclesiastes he says, "There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?" (Ecc. 2:24-25)
Some days in life will be full of toil. Some days we are busy and others we might have to get six teeth surgically removed. But surely there is nothing better than to live life with an attitude of enjoyment of Survival Camp proportions, knowing that God is good and faithful every day.
Yesterday I had my wisdom teeth removed plus an infected tooth plus an extra tooth that hadn't even shown up in the X-Ray but was located right under my back left wisdom tooth. The oral surgeon only used local anesthesia so that means that I was still conscious when they did it. But the whole experience was not that bad, thanks to the wonderful invention of nitrous oxide, or "laughing gas." I think the oral surgeon used a bit more than my dentist normally does because I was literally laughing before they had even shot me up with novacain. When they asked me if I was ready, I said, "Yeah...huhuhuhu..." The doctor responded, "I've never seen anybody this happy about it." At one point during the procedure I literally had to stop the doctor because I felt like I was getting a little too happy--like my brain was about to explode. But everything turned out fine and so far the recovery process is going great. Thanks to anyone who was/is praying.
But as I was sitting there artificially happy in the dental chair , my mind was turned to even happier times. To keep my mind off the horrid things that were going on in my mouth, I chose to reflect on the two wonderful weeks that I have spent at Survival Camp over the past two summers.
For those of you who do not know what Survival Camp is, it is technically the summer camp of the high school group at the First Baptist Church of Los Altos but effectively the best week of the summer or even year for anyone who attends. Survival Camp mixes amazing times of fun and friends with awesome times of worship and learning from the Bible. But I have found myself many times, especially this year when I cannot attend Camp because my term limit has expired, asking the question, "Why can't every day be like Survival Camp?" To an extent, it is true that not every day can be. Let me put it this way: You are not going to wake up every day at Lake Camanche after sleeping under the stars and then spend the day eating three of the best meals of your life, having two awesome worship services, playing cleverly contrived convivial games, tubing, playing poker, and hanging with your friends. Not every day will be so packed full of fun.
However, as I have thought about this question of every day being like Survival Camp, I have come to the conclusion that there are definitely many ways that it can be. When you are at Survival Camp, especially when it is your last year, you have this mentality that your are going to enjoy life down to the last minute. You know that there is no time to waste on complaining or feeling down. You soak up the good times with your friends, the powerful times of singing, and the truths of God's word. Although the circumstances of life will not always be like Survival Camp, we can certainly live every day with this mindset. Solomon knew this. In Ecclesiastes he says, "There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?" (Ecc. 2:24-25)
Some days in life will be full of toil. Some days we are busy and others we might have to get six teeth surgically removed. But surely there is nothing better than to live life with an attitude of enjoyment of Survival Camp proportions, knowing that God is good and faithful every day.
posted by Ben Blakey at 1:09 PM
2 Comments:
Ben~
Great entry about camp! Thanks for the encouragement to live with a mindset that is excited about Christ no matter what the circumstance. Even when things are far from the quality of life at camp, we can know God is going to be good!
LPJ out!!
Wow! that's alot of deep thinking for someone on novicane and laughing gas, or is that the same thing??? When I had laughing gas i thought of tubing down the guadalupe with Matt, David, Trev, and Jerimiah.... but then again it's hard not to think of tubing because you feel like your floating. hahaha. well I hope you get better soon Ben, I'm going to laugh at you on sunday if your cheeks are swollen..... HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! no just kidding i won't.
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