I have a confession to make. I hate going to the dentist. Let me be clear. I don't hate my dentist. Far from it. I love my dentist. Dr. Grimes is a wonderful man. Acquainted with tragedy, he is full of the love of God and follows Christ as he unselfishly serves others in his church and in our community with unflagging strength. Dr. Grimes totally rocks, and so does his staff. But the metal scrapy things they put in your mouth...sweet God in heaven have mercy on me!
The Holy Spirit really used my dental disdain yesterday as I went (reluctantly) to an appointment, no longer able to put off for another six months the semi-annual scraping and gum torture they call "cleaning".
The moment I sat in the chair, the guilt over my dental disobedience began to wash over me. In addition to the cleaning, I had a loose crown, so before anything else happened, the lovely Karen did some digital X-rays. Instantly, there it was right in front of me. A radiological picture of my many bicuspid indiscretions in black and white. My shame began to grow as the bright white of the amalgam fillings and porceline crowns glowed against the background of my God-given chompers. And then I began to laugh. No laughing gas to blame for it, I laughed out loud as I heard the Holy Spirit speak these words to my heart:
"Now you know how people feel, who go to church about as often as you go to the dentist!"
Freshly overwhelmed with empathy, I was struck by how kind and forgiving the lovely Karen was to me. It was such a great example of how we should treat others, knowing that for some, it took every ounce of courage for them to just show up. I love the Holy Spirit's sense of humor, and I appreciated His solid metaphorical reinforcement for the Vision, Purpose and Mission of Crossroads.
What I didn't know, is that statement would ring in my ears for the next 45 minutes as the lovely Karen, with her knee in my chest for leverage, began to scrape away at the things that had attached themselves to my tusks while I wasn't paying attention. With each tug and scrape and clawing motion below the gum line, the words the Holy Spirit spoke confirmed how painful it is for people (not just those who come twice a year on Christmas and Easter, but for you and ME) to sit through a sermon, while our own spiritual lack of discipline, or indiscretions, or ambivilence, or apathy is sliced, diced, probed, scraped, poked and ultimately set right as the Word of God goes to work in us (and that, usually, way below the gumline).
I laughed at first thinking what a wonderful illustration the whole "I hate going to the dentist" thing was in the context of people saying, and living out, "I hate going to church". I laughed later thinking this: If my personal study time just looks like me hurriedly brushing my teeth (and being very kind to myself in the process), then surely God looks like the lovely Karen with her knee in my chest for leverage, working overtime to right the things I am reluctant to right myself.
Thank you God for my dentist! And that you God for the serious dentistry you do in our lives...if we'll show up for the appointment. Leads me to this: Wouldn't it be easier to just live with simple and effective, daily spiritual discipline in our lives? Maybe if we did, God could take His knee out of our chest. Bahahaha!
"For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper that the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between sould and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires". (Hebrews 4:12, NLT)
LOVE IT!!! Great metaphor!
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