Three Angels Broadcasting Network Devotional.
Joy After Pain.
By Elena Utkina
June 30th, 2026
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28
My story begins with another toothache. It didn’t just hurt, but completely filled my head with thoughts about how badly it hurt! Nothing helped this time. No pain pills, no baking soda rinse—only the heroic deed of going to the clinic would fix this problem.
Now I must admit that since childhood, I’d been afraid of dentists. At the age of five, I thought that going to the doctor was punishment for my disobedience. After all, I was constantly doing something wrong, and objectionable things with me grew like mushrooms after a rain!
“Did you eat a box of chocolates without permission?” I’d eaten them.
“Did you bring those six huge grasshoppers home to live?” Yes, I’d brought them.
“Did you paint over your grandmother’s portrait with your colored pens?” Yes, I had.
That’s how things had been all my life, and now, well, I had to bear with the dentist. I imagined the bright light shining in my eyes, and someone in white clothes picking up a huge set of pliers, and… well, it’s best not to remember!
Despite the terrible paintings I’d seen of the torture that went on during the Inquisition, I began to get ready to go to the clinic. I reassured myself that it would not be a stranger who would treat me, but my friend, Yana. We’d spent a lot of time together. She skied expertly and painted pictures, but she was also a dentist with extensive experience. Yana did everything she undertook with love. I knew this, therefore, my legs walked me, trembling, toward her office.
“I’m so scared. I haven’t gone to a doctor in a hundred years,” I told her in a strangled voice.
“Look, I know what needs to be done to make you feel good,” Yana reassured me. “Yes, it will be unpleasant for some time, and even painful. But then you will become happy again. Do you believe me?” As she said those words, my soul became calm.
Yana prepared to give me an injection. She touched the sensitive area of my tooth with a sharp needle and painfully pressed on it. I endured, knowing that it was necessary. I trusted the hands of a professional. I believed that Yana was doing everything for my own good, and tears filled my eyes and rolled down my cheeks—but not from the pain. They were tears of joy. I had just made an important discovery in my life. And maybe I had ended up in the dentist’s chair for this very reason because, at that moment, I understood what it meant to trust in God.
Be calm, in spite of what is happening around you. Be patient and steadfast when circumstances are depressing and the heart is afraid. And be joyful, because everything that saddens you will eventually end.
Joy After Pain.
By Elena Utkina
June 30th, 2026
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28
My story begins with another toothache. It didn’t just hurt, but completely filled my head with thoughts about how badly it hurt! Nothing helped this time. No pain pills, no baking soda rinse—only the heroic deed of going to the clinic would fix this problem.
Now I must admit that since childhood, I’d been afraid of dentists. At the age of five, I thought that going to the doctor was punishment for my disobedience. After all, I was constantly doing something wrong, and objectionable things with me grew like mushrooms after a rain!
“Did you eat a box of chocolates without permission?” I’d eaten them.
“Did you bring those six huge grasshoppers home to live?” Yes, I’d brought them.
“Did you paint over your grandmother’s portrait with your colored pens?” Yes, I had.
That’s how things had been all my life, and now, well, I had to bear with the dentist. I imagined the bright light shining in my eyes, and someone in white clothes picking up a huge set of pliers, and… well, it’s best not to remember!
Despite the terrible paintings I’d seen of the torture that went on during the Inquisition, I began to get ready to go to the clinic. I reassured myself that it would not be a stranger who would treat me, but my friend, Yana. We’d spent a lot of time together. She skied expertly and painted pictures, but she was also a dentist with extensive experience. Yana did everything she undertook with love. I knew this, therefore, my legs walked me, trembling, toward her office.
“I’m so scared. I haven’t gone to a doctor in a hundred years,” I told her in a strangled voice.
“Look, I know what needs to be done to make you feel good,” Yana reassured me. “Yes, it will be unpleasant for some time, and even painful. But then you will become happy again. Do you believe me?” As she said those words, my soul became calm.
Yana prepared to give me an injection. She touched the sensitive area of my tooth with a sharp needle and painfully pressed on it. I endured, knowing that it was necessary. I trusted the hands of a professional. I believed that Yana was doing everything for my own good, and tears filled my eyes and rolled down my cheeks—but not from the pain. They were tears of joy. I had just made an important discovery in my life. And maybe I had ended up in the dentist’s chair for this very reason because, at that moment, I understood what it meant to trust in God.
Be calm, in spite of what is happening around you. Be patient and steadfast when circumstances are depressing and the heart is afraid. And be joyful, because everything that saddens you will eventually end.
Three Angels Broadcasting Network Devotional.
Joy After Pain.
By Elena Utkina
June 30th, 2026
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28
My story begins with another toothache. It didn’t just hurt, but completely filled my head with thoughts about how badly it hurt! Nothing helped this time. No pain pills, no baking soda rinse—only the heroic deed of going to the clinic would fix this problem.
Now I must admit that since childhood, I’d been afraid of dentists. At the age of five, I thought that going to the doctor was punishment for my disobedience. After all, I was constantly doing something wrong, and objectionable things with me grew like mushrooms after a rain!
“Did you eat a box of chocolates without permission?” I’d eaten them.
“Did you bring those six huge grasshoppers home to live?” Yes, I’d brought them.
“Did you paint over your grandmother’s portrait with your colored pens?” Yes, I had.
That’s how things had been all my life, and now, well, I had to bear with the dentist. I imagined the bright light shining in my eyes, and someone in white clothes picking up a huge set of pliers, and… well, it’s best not to remember!
Despite the terrible paintings I’d seen of the torture that went on during the Inquisition, I began to get ready to go to the clinic. I reassured myself that it would not be a stranger who would treat me, but my friend, Yana. We’d spent a lot of time together. She skied expertly and painted pictures, but she was also a dentist with extensive experience. Yana did everything she undertook with love. I knew this, therefore, my legs walked me, trembling, toward her office.
“I’m so scared. I haven’t gone to a doctor in a hundred years,” I told her in a strangled voice.
“Look, I know what needs to be done to make you feel good,” Yana reassured me. “Yes, it will be unpleasant for some time, and even painful. But then you will become happy again. Do you believe me?” As she said those words, my soul became calm.
Yana prepared to give me an injection. She touched the sensitive area of my tooth with a sharp needle and painfully pressed on it. I endured, knowing that it was necessary. I trusted the hands of a professional. I believed that Yana was doing everything for my own good, and tears filled my eyes and rolled down my cheeks—but not from the pain. They were tears of joy. I had just made an important discovery in my life. And maybe I had ended up in the dentist’s chair for this very reason because, at that moment, I understood what it meant to trust in God.
Be calm, in spite of what is happening around you. Be patient and steadfast when circumstances are depressing and the heart is afraid. And be joyful, because everything that saddens you will eventually end.
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