I have a confession to make. When I became a teenager I didn't brush my teeth very often. In fact, I hated brushing my teeth. Wow, I feel a lot better now that this is off my chest! I don't know why I didn't like brushing them. It was probably a combination of factors - being forced to brush them when I was younger, laziness, busyness, forgetfulness, and just not liking the aftertaste of the toothpaste. The result was as expected - cavities.
A cavity here and a cavity there. Then fillings. Then root canals. You'd think at this point I would have learned my lesson. Wrong! From there it degenerated to pulled teeth. One here, one there. Actually, it was more like one-not-here and one-not-there! Finally, it got to the point where it looked like I was going to be a good candidate for dentures. I didn't want to go there. I felt like getting dentures was giving up and I wasn't going to get them if I could help it. It was at that point that I decided to stand up for the rest of my teeth. By George, I would fight to save the ones I had!
So I made a deliberate attempt to start taking care of my teeth. I started brushing them each night. Then I began flossing them as well. I began to use mouthwash. I faithfully scheduled 2 cleanings/year. I also had some 'repair' work done. I got a partial bridge put in on one side and a couple of implants on the other side (to the tune of several thousand dollars!).
At this point I would have to say that it looks like I have been successful. I haven't lost any more teeth. I haven't had any more root canals. I haven't had any cavities. None. Zilch. Nada. My dental hygienist is proud of me! I have come to the place where I couldn't possibly go to bed without brushing and flossing my teeth. However, even though I am proud of the fact that I am currently taking good care of my teeth, every time I brush them I am reminded of my years of neglect. It is right there for me to see. I will never have the kind of teeth and smile that I could have had. My bad.
The point is this. Whenever I look at my teeth I see a lesson in sin. Some sins are relatively small and can be quickly repented of without too much damage. But other sins are huge, or we commit so many 'small' sins over a period of time, that we suffer some damage in our lives. If we don't confess these sins and repent, the damage can end up being quite substantial. Now while sins can be forgiven, sometimes the damage from them remains. Years later, a person can see this damage in the form of health issues, a divorce, financial instability, children who've wandered far from God, etc. So the key is to make regular spiritual maintenance (Bible reading, prayer, confession, fellowship, accountability) a part of our lives. The sooner and the younger that we do this, and the more vigilant we are, the less damage we will sustain. We won't have to be constantly reminded of our past and what could have been. We will be able to reap all of the benefits of a life lived for God.
Lord, thank you for second chances, for the forgiveness of sins that you freely give. Help me not to neglect my spiritual health but to make it a daily priority. Amen.
"Remember your Creator in the days of your youth." - Ecclesiastes 12:1
No comments:
Post a Comment