Today I spent over an hour “relaxing” in a chair with my mouth wide open. No, I was not chatting, snoring, or screaming. A sharp needle pierced my gums resulting in little feeling remaining. A brilliant light shown on my wounded chopper as a man stuffed his small tools into my open cavity. Renewal was beginning. A crown was promised in the future. Yes, you guessed it. Acknowledging an injured tooth, I had sought healing.
Fortunately the dentist was focused on my tooth, not my brain. As the healer poked, scraped, and took out decayed ivory, I thought of the Great Physician. What a great comparison between my tooth repair job and my necessary life and soul repair.
Our Saviour is often referred to as the Great Physician, the healer of mankind. In Luke 5:31 Jesus tells Levi, the tax collector, that “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” If I wanted my tooth repaired I did not want to find a car fix-it shop, but a tooth repair service. Likewise, for my sinful life I must find a healer of souls.
I set my alarm for 6:30 a.m. that morning, swallowed four giant pills an hour prior to entering the tooth repair shop and then confidently drove off. Apparently as the dentist pokes around with my tooth, decay and/or other bits of infected debris may be disturbed and eagerly dash to find another landing spot. This infected “stuff” must like metal. With two metal knee replacements, prevention must go into effect. Thus the quartet of pills was prescribed.
Likewise with our spiritual life. As Christ watches over His Children, sinful thoughts and actions are sometimes disturbed by Satan working in our lives. Swallowed pills will not erase our sins. We must seek forgiveness and pray for the Lord to give us courage to clean up. Incidentally, swallowing mega sized pills is easier than removing all sin from our lives, but we must pray and clean out contamination from our spiritual bodies.
Light is so very important as repair is in process. The dentist had a trio of lights. Two old fashioned ceiling lights hung from the ceiling. A giant lamp hovered closely over my open mouth, and the repair guy wore another light source on his head and pointed it directly into the giant, open cave (called my mouth), and sometimes even the helper added light to the repair job.
Who is called our LIGHT as we attempt to repair our injured souls? “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). That “LIGHT” helps spot the decay in each of our lives. We also can follow the Light of the World. Actually this light is really a trio: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Without light the dentist would undoubtedly fumble and fail to repair my teeth. Without God’s light, people will sin and fail to clean up their lives and miss the ultimate journey to the promised heavenly home.
Speaking of lights, as I stared upward when the doc moved, I noticed three phrases written on the face of the big light: “Relax, Be Comfortable, and We Care.” Isn’t that exactly what Jesus told the crowds in Matthew 28-30? “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
I had to really squint to read the words as my glasses were resting on the counter, but I was curious so stretched upward. Sometimes to know exactly what God is trying to tell us requires stretching a bit. We need to read the scriptures and listen to other followers. No one made me read the words stuck on the light. I had to initiate the action. God also does not force His Word on us. We must search out His hand and trust.
Never once during the eighty-seven minutes under the doc’s care was I fearful. I trusted and knew that he cared for me and my health. Psalm 27:1 shouts out the same message. “The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life — of whom shall I be afraid?” Trust the Expert, the Healer.
My ultimate goal that morning was to begin preparation to receive a new CROWN. My original tooth had decay. The bad stuff was dug out, a temporary crown fastened in and a month later the permanent crown should replace the damaged tooth. So, as Followers of the Great Healer, we each desire to receive a CROWN of righteousness. 2 Timothy 4:7-8 shares God’s promise of a crown. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day — and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”
Join Me As I Seek Not Only a Tooth Crown But an Eternal Life Crown
Kathryn Ransom 