Making sense

I love going to the dentist.

And I'm not being sarcastic.

I had the privilege of visiting the dentist today, and I was cavity-free again. I was kind of surprised by this, because I've eaten a lot more Jolly Ranchers lately than normal. Score.

Besides the uncomfortable feeling of having someone cram hands that are bigger than your mouth into it, I often hear people complain about their dentists trying to carry on conversations with them while it is quite difficult to utter anything remotely understandable. But I had an epiphany about this that I think makes perfect sense.

Dentists can decipher almost anything people say.

And what they don't understand they just pretend to interpret accurately.

You won't always make sense.

My dentist's office has TVs over each chair so you can watch something joyful while all sorts of pieces of equipment and loud noises are being blasted inside your mouth. I always opt for ESPN, and my dentist is quite aware of my love for sports, so that's all he ever discusses with me.

This afternoon I was greeted with, "Hello, Miss Natalie! How 'bout our Cowboys?!" We went on to discuss this sob story briefly but then thankfully moved on to college football. We are both pretty pumped about the big SEC matchup this weekend between Alabama and Georgia, and the doc really hopes the Crimson Tide gets rolled. (Sorry, WD!!) And, of course, we had to talk about the Heisman race and Johnny Football.

Our conversation was obviously fabulous. I couldn't even make out all of the syllables that were coming from my mouth, but he comprehended perfectly. It felt wonderful to be understood in a world full of misinterpretations and misunderstandings. I think maybe that's why so many people like the show Cheers and love the song about going somewhere where everyone knows your name. Well, it's also nice to be somewhere where you can say something that seems like it makes no sense, but it's actually flawlessly deciphered.

It's great to have people here on earth who get us, and it's even more special that we have a God who truly values us, even when we don't seem to make much sense. There's no perfect prayer, and even if we offer up something to Him that doesn't always sound just right, it still makes sense to Him. And He never even has to pretend.

I hope your next visit to the dentist is full of lively conversation that may sound comical but is actually somewhat refreshing.

And don't ever be afraid of seeming silly to others—there are people in your life who really get you, and they are the ones who matter the most.