An Insight From the Dentist’s Chair
I have a question for you today and you can answer the question to yourself. How many of you floss regularly? How many of you floss some of the time? How many of you do not floss at all? How many of you don’t floss but tell your hygienist that you do? I used to floss the morning of my dental appointment so if the hygienist asked me if I flossed I could say, “I just flossed this morning.”
I just had a dental appointment a few weeks ago. There I was sitting in the dental chair cute as a button and the hygienist comes in prepared once more to clean my teeth. She starts her work and the conversation inevitably like it always does turns to flossing. She asks me if I floss. Well, I have learned to stop being a big fat liar so I said that no I really do not. She starts into her speech about flossing and why one needs to do it. Prior to this appointment I would react like maybe many of you do to the flossing rant, “Yah, Yah, O.K. – whatever – just let me get done so I can leave. Of, course she flosses after all she is a hygienist.” And you continue to go about your life without floss
But for some reason this time was different. For some reason this time she caught my attention. I saw the light this time because she explained to me where I was headed if I didn’t start to floss regularly. Not that she had never told me all this before but for some reason that day I listened. If you do not floss bacteria finds a home in between your teeth. That bacteria can not only inflame your gums causing them to become red and painful it can make your teeth miserable, bacteria between teeth has also been linked to heart attacks and strokes. If I did not start to floss regularly they would have to do a special cleaning procedure called “deep scaling” which would not only be painful it would be costly to the tune of $800.00. If I did not floss eventually I would be headed for dentures. I have some bone structure in my mouth that would have to be chipped away to even begin to fit dentures in my mouth. O.K. O.K. – I surrender. I now keep floss in my desk drawer where it is handy.
The hygienist can encourage, she can give samples of floss, and brand new toothbrushes but she cannot floss her patience teeth everyday – it is up to them. If you look at your teeth and think that the look fine they don’t need to be flossed – you are kidding yourself. You are not seeing what your teeth could be. You are not seeing the bad things going on underneath and eventually you will pay the price for something that so easily could have been prevented.
That is not the only epiphany I had that day in the dentist’s chair. When the hygienist first started on me about the flossing I thought to myself this is exactly how a pastor must sound like to some people when he is encouraging them to read the Bible everyday. “Yah, Yah, O.K. – whatever – just say what you need to say and get done so I can leave. Of, course he reads the Bible after all he is a pastor.” And many people continue to go about their lives without God’s Word. If you look at your life without a regular dose of God’s Word and you think that you are doing fine – you are kidding yourself. You are not seeing what your life in Jesus Christ could be. You are not allowing yourself to see the bad things going on underneath – the potential loss of faith and eventually paying an eternal price for that which so easily could have been prevented. A pastor can certainly encourage the people, the pastor can provide reading schedules and memory work but the pastor cannot read the Word for the people – they need to want to do it themselves.
If you are not reading God’s word regularly what could be said today that would finally make a difference. What could be said that would make you finally want to submerge yourself in His Word? Telling people they have to read the Bible that God commands us to read it which He does, may not do the job. Many times when people are told they have to do something they tend to run the other way. What are just some of the pure joys the pure benefits one received by reading the word of God?
The Bible realigns your priorities and tells you how to live. II Thess says, “Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other.” The purpose of our lives is to give God glory as we live by loving and serving others. The Bible daily reminds us of that. The Bible gives you the tools to be an effective Christian in your life. 2 Timothy 3;16-17, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. The Bible also provides protection from temptation and the schemes of the devil. “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Reading the Bible daily is sharing time with your best friend. And if nothing else the Bible is a constant reminder how much God loves you and the price that He paid for you. John 20:31 “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” The price God paid for you was the death of His Son – the Bible daily reminds and assures you of that love. The Word of God is here for you, keep it handy, read it daily and your life will never ever be the same.
