A Visit to the Dentist
by Steve Ridgell on Jul.05, 2010, under Hope
Preventative care. That’s what my dentist calls these every six month visits. They clean my teeth. Sometimes they take x-rays to look for problems. They remind me to floss. Then I write a check. I am always tempted to skip these visits. It is not like I refuse to go to the dentist. If I get a toothache, or have a problem, I would be there as soon as I could. He reminds me that if I keep doing preventative care, I won’t have to come see him because something is wrong. Take care of things now and avoid the major work later.
It makes sense and the smart thing to do is to follow his advice. In fact, you would think I don’t value my teeth if I neglected them until I had a problem. So why not apply that same principle to our relationship with God? Why neglect the everyday care of that relationship, but quickly ask God for help when life gets difficult. Maybe regular attention to what God says would prevent major problems in my life. And if I talked to God on a daily basis I would be more equipped to face life’s problems.
I wonder how God feels when I neglect to regularly put attention on my relationship with Him. God does not desire our relationship with Him to only be about crisis management. He wants us in a relationship that includes regular care and maintenance. He is certainly capable of handling the crisis in my life. He has proved that. But that is not the extent of our connection.
I like my teeth so I will keep up my daily brushing and flossing. I will continue my regular dental check-ups. I’ll be healthier and happier for it. And I am going to give daily attention to my relationship with God. I’ll be healthier and happier for it … both now and forever.
Blessings,
steve
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Personally, I don’t like going to dentists. So the metaphor didn’t quite fit for me.
But I do agree that praying or just talking to God on a regular basis is vital in forging that relationship of faith. More than having healthy teeth and gums, the benefits are much greater.
Regular contact with God also cushions the panic when a crisis comes around. In other words the tooth wouldn’t ache as much.
Thanks for your post. Love your blog.
I used to hear from the “pulpit” a verse quoted that said something about “pray without ceasing,” and I remember asking myself how that would be possible, and more importantly, was it necessary. About 5 years ago, Satan brought into my life so many serious problems, all beyond my control, that I found myself praying, what seemed like, all the time, praying while driving on the interstate, WHILE eating, between phone calls, and whenever I could find time. I even stopped puting an end to the sessions because I knew I was not finished, no amen, just stopped talking. And then it hit me; you are!
You are praying without ceasing, and the spiritual growth that happened as a result of it was nothing short of my miracle from Him.
Daily attention to teeth, great idea. Praying without ceasing, the best thing that ever happened to me.
Great observations. I used to use prayer as my crisis management function and God was faithful to help. But I agree it works so much better as an ongoing, without ceasing, preventative discipline. Blessings.