Overcoming the fear of Room 101

One of George Orwell's most famous novels was Nineteen Eighty-Four. Written in 1949, the novel describes a totalitarian regime run by The Party. Every citizen is under the watchful eye of Big Brother, and anyone who steps out of line in any way faces the dreaded prospect of Room 101. In Room 101, a person is forced to face his or her biggest nightmare, fear or phobia. In other words, a person must face up to what, in normal circumstances, they would do their level best to avoid. What would be in my Room 101? Almost certainly a dentist's chair!

I suppose that my rather irrational desire to avoid visiting the dentist must relate back to some unpleasant childhood experiences. Whatever the cause, and however much I try to tell myself to stop being so stupid, I have often found that the mere sight of a dentist approaching has turned me into a jellied wreck!

I have managed to avoid the experience for around 8 years. Until, that is, this week. A few days ago, part of a tooth disappeared, and I realised that I could put off the dreaded event no longer. I managed to find a local N.H.S. dentist (rather rare, these days), and went meekly along yesterday. As I was waiting for my appointment, I noticed on the wall in the reception 3 framed certificates. It certainly didn't help my nerves to discover that they were certificates awarded from a course in cardiac recovery (or something similar). I had visions of my heart giving up altogether!

As it happened, I coped rather well with the appointment, and I was very pleased with myself. I was probably in the chair for only about 1 minute. That's the good news. The bad news is that I have to return next week for 3 fillings! Just now the prospect doesn't seem to bad, but I am sure that it will loom larger as the time approaches.

Fear is a natural reaction to danger; it helps us to protect ourselves. The person without any fear would be in very great danger. However, when we allow fear to rule our lives it becomes debilitating and ruins our quality of life. I have heard it said (though haven't checked it out) that the phrase "do not be afraid" appears 366 times in the Bible. That's once for each day of the year, including leap year. God says to us, 'I will never leave you or forsake you.' When we truly trust in him, then even the dentist's chair will lose it's threat. I'll try it next week!