Last week I shared about the generosity I encountered over the course of the prior week.
As I prayed on what to share this morning, waiting for the answer, the Bible app’s verse of the day arrived and says this ‘A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed’ Proverbs 11:25. I can’t help but go back to the thoughts of the dentist I mentioned last week, as I read this verse. I did promise that I would share the story, so here it is:
I had dental work done last year. Somehow I knew it wasn’t the place that I should be doing it, but it was an expensive procedure, and the cost was going to be reduced. I decided to go along.
The whole experience is one I do not wish to repeat. Fast forward to only seven months after work that was supposed to be permanent, and I knew I was having an issue. At my last appointment there, I had made a decision in my heart that I would never return there, no matter the circumstances.
As I wanted to take preventative measures, I started looking for a new dentist, preferably one that would take my insurance. I pass one close to home and decided to call them. The person who answered the phone was one of the kindest people I’d ever spoken to in a medical office. She listened to me share my frustration for easily ten minutes, even though she knew they didn’t accept my insurance. She said she’d talk to the dentist so he would give me a consultation, and he wouldn’t charge. What?
I went in the following day, and decided to gift the front desk person my book. I was just so thankful. It didn’t matter the outcome with the dentist. I wanted her to know I had appreciated her kindness. She texted the next day thanking me that the words were the exact ones she needed in that moment. Only God!
When I sat in the dentist’s chair, he asked me for the backstory. Wait. What? He said he needed to understand the history, before he did anything. He sat, listened, asked questions for clarifications, and then did the examination. I did not feel as if he was in a hurry and he was thorough.
And true to their word, they did not charge me for the consult, that I knew would be hundreds of dollars had I gone elsewhere.
Fast forward, where the same tooth had another issue, not because of his fault, but the work that was previously done. I won’t even tell you how many times I saw him in one day, and yet he was patient and kind. I know that he will be the one to make the permanent fix to my ongoing issue.
I’ve walked away with a sense of ‘this is how I want to be with my clients and people I meet’. I want to be generous. I want to slow down and be fully present with them, making them feel like they’re the most important person in that moment.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the examples of people you have sent for us. Thank you for this dentist that has been so patient and kind, help me to learn from him, both personally and professionally. Help me to show up for others in the ways they need, giving of myself generously.
