Today I went to the dentist.
It was a routine visit, just a 6 month check-in with my hygienist. She is not the type that asks you a million questions while your mouth is wide open and you have no way of giving a coherent answer. Rather, she silently cleans your teeth and offers little in the way of chit chat before or after doing so. But that's fine with me. Just because I'm clergy does not mean I enjoy chit chat.
Normally I have a million things on my mind and I work on them silently in my mind during my cleaning. But today I didn't. Today I did not have much on my mind at all, so I used the time as a quiet reflection/meditation time.
As I lay there listening to the sound of the tartar being gently removed, I thought about the gift I was receiving. It reminded me of grace and forgiveness.
We all gather gunk and stains in our lives (we call this "baggage" and sin). Every once in a while it's good to take that stuff to God and ask for a cleaning. God washes away our sins.
When I was younger I had a hygienist that also offered a good deal of education. She would always remind me to floss and warn me of the dangers of tooth decay. I also got similar reminders about sinful behaviors from my CCD teachers. My spiritual hygienists would remind me not only to make sure I got my regular cleanings and check-ups, but also how to avoid getting cavities and needing dentures.
But the hygienist I have now trusts me. She understands that I know what I am "supposed to do" to have healthy teeth. She knows that I know that if she has to spend a long time on a certain area that I have probably not been giving it the attention it needs. She doesn't need to say anything. And when the dentist comes in for the exam, he only says something if a problem is really going to start effecting other areas of my life (perhaps my ability to chew certain temperature foods).
The same goes for my spiritual hygienists and my spiritual Dentist (Jesus). My companions in this journey we call a walk of faith do what they can to help me stay clean. They understand that sometimes I will get lazy and allow some gunk to build up. And when I do, they will do what they can to gracefully help me clean it. And if they fail, the Dentist will always be willing to step in with the important warnings. And if I fail to listen to those, He will gently and gracefully repair the problem and heal my pain. Now, sometimes there is pain during the repair process, but it always feels much better in the end. Of course, there is always evidence that I had work done. But those fillings are also a reminder that my Dentist will always step in to help me prevent further pain. Sometimes that intervention comes at a cost, and even though further pain may be prevented, and the initial pain just a memory, the visible reminders serve as a sign to me to avoid the types of behaviors that allowed the damage to happen the first time.
My smile is not perfect. There is evidence of a lot of work that I have had to have done over the years. But that work keeps me capable of chewing. And most of all, it keeps me capable of smiling, and sharing that smile with the world. When people ask me about my smile, I tell them about my awesome Dentist.
How's your dental/spiritual hygiene?
It was a routine visit, just a 6 month check-in with my hygienist. She is not the type that asks you a million questions while your mouth is wide open and you have no way of giving a coherent answer. Rather, she silently cleans your teeth and offers little in the way of chit chat before or after doing so. But that's fine with me. Just because I'm clergy does not mean I enjoy chit chat.
Normally I have a million things on my mind and I work on them silently in my mind during my cleaning. But today I didn't. Today I did not have much on my mind at all, so I used the time as a quiet reflection/meditation time.
As I lay there listening to the sound of the tartar being gently removed, I thought about the gift I was receiving. It reminded me of grace and forgiveness.
We all gather gunk and stains in our lives (we call this "baggage" and sin). Every once in a while it's good to take that stuff to God and ask for a cleaning. God washes away our sins.
When I was younger I had a hygienist that also offered a good deal of education. She would always remind me to floss and warn me of the dangers of tooth decay. I also got similar reminders about sinful behaviors from my CCD teachers. My spiritual hygienists would remind me not only to make sure I got my regular cleanings and check-ups, but also how to avoid getting cavities and needing dentures.
But the hygienist I have now trusts me. She understands that I know what I am "supposed to do" to have healthy teeth. She knows that I know that if she has to spend a long time on a certain area that I have probably not been giving it the attention it needs. She doesn't need to say anything. And when the dentist comes in for the exam, he only says something if a problem is really going to start effecting other areas of my life (perhaps my ability to chew certain temperature foods).
The same goes for my spiritual hygienists and my spiritual Dentist (Jesus). My companions in this journey we call a walk of faith do what they can to help me stay clean. They understand that sometimes I will get lazy and allow some gunk to build up. And when I do, they will do what they can to gracefully help me clean it. And if they fail, the Dentist will always be willing to step in with the important warnings. And if I fail to listen to those, He will gently and gracefully repair the problem and heal my pain. Now, sometimes there is pain during the repair process, but it always feels much better in the end. Of course, there is always evidence that I had work done. But those fillings are also a reminder that my Dentist will always step in to help me prevent further pain. Sometimes that intervention comes at a cost, and even though further pain may be prevented, and the initial pain just a memory, the visible reminders serve as a sign to me to avoid the types of behaviors that allowed the damage to happen the first time.
My smile is not perfect. There is evidence of a lot of work that I have had to have done over the years. But that work keeps me capable of chewing. And most of all, it keeps me capable of smiling, and sharing that smile with the world. When people ask me about my smile, I tell them about my awesome Dentist.
How's your dental/spiritual hygiene?
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