Dentist

“Yeah, I’m going to the dentist!”  That statement is not heard often, at least in my small circle of friends.  Dentists are necessary, even needed, but rarely do we get excited about going to see them.  Why?  Why are we not excited about seeing the person who is able to take a sharp instrument and probe around your delicate gums until blood excretes?  Why do we not arrive with excitement pursing from our lips “I’m here to see that wonderful doc!”?  Why do we place our selves into that chair only to hear loud noises produced by drills that will eventually be placed into our mouths to puncture our teeth?  (Let’s not mention the loud screams of small children; thanks to “Finding Nemo” for that great scene.)  Well, we need them.  We need to take care of our teeth and gums so we can enjoy solid foods well into our adulthood.  I mean, after all, I do love corn on the cob, but you must have good choppers to enjoy that sweet summer sensation.

Yesterday was my day to visit the dentist to have a wisdom tooth removed since it has decided to invade the personal space of the molar sitting next to it.  It went according to plan.  In less than 5 minutes, I received the numbing shot and the tooth was extracted.  A little discomfort and awkwardness in talking (did someone say that Lisa was happy???), but a successful visit still occurred.  Eating supper was an entirely different situation, but hey, I need to lose weight anyway. 

Now the spiritual connection, at least to me, is quite easy to make; we need to make regular visits to our dentist (God) for a check up.  Instead of brushing, flossing, and mouthwash, we need to pray, read the Bible, share our faith, and attend corporate worship.  Yes, there will be moments that are unpleasant (where God confronts us in our sin), but is totally necessary for a healthy spiritual body, and a vital congregation.  So now, let’s get excited about seeing and meeting our spiritual dentist for a check up that is needed and is most helpful.  See ya Sunday!