This morning, my mind filled with all the awesome things I want to do. Love life!
Anyway, as I excitedly began my morning, my eyes drifted to the vanity and I thought, "Oh wait...I don't think I brushed my teeth last night." (I was pretty...well, exhausted.) "I should take the time to brush them this morning so my teeth don't rot."
The logic of my mental process was inescapable and I grabbed out the toothbrush and toothpaste.
As I began to brush, I thought, What if people treated scripture reading and praying the same way they do brushing their teeth?
Instant analogies flooded my mind.
If we don't brush our teeth, cavities form which need to be filled.
If we don't connect with God, cavities form in our soul which need to be filled.
But I can always get fillings to fix the problem later, so why not look at spirituality the same way?
I can always "repent" or compensate for my spiritual neglect later, right?
Well, if we don't go to the dentist regularly, our cavities are not filled and our teeth rot.
If we don't go to church regularly (or wherever our "spiritual check-up" place is), our cavities are not filled and our soul rots.
The process of replacing teeth or root canals is a lot more painful than regular check-ups. I would even dare say that those who have been through them would agree it would have been worth it to go more often.
Perhaps the process of repenting as sin has built up is similarly of greater magnitude of pain to remedy?
Some other aspects of our health are affected as our teeth health is not good.
Other aspects of our lives--relationships, perspective as the world seems to go mad around us, etc.--suffer when we are not keeping our souls clean by "daily brushing."
Hmmm...I bet if we tried to, we could see the same type of immediate negative effects of neglecting our spiritual hygiene as we do our dental hygiene over the course of time. Recognize the pain, the effects of neglect...the nasty looking teeth. (Yes, I have had some nasty looking expressions on my face when I neglect to read my scripture and say my prayers.)
Only, the effect of an "un-brushed soul" seems to have far more negative and lasting effect on those around us, far more devastating than the negative aesthetics or bad breath that comes with poor dental hygiene.
Maybe my scripture reading and prayer should become as essential to my daily routine as my dental work. Kind of makes me think....
Anyway, as I excitedly began my morning, my eyes drifted to the vanity and I thought, "Oh wait...I don't think I brushed my teeth last night." (I was pretty...well, exhausted.) "I should take the time to brush them this morning so my teeth don't rot."The logic of my mental process was inescapable and I grabbed out the toothbrush and toothpaste.
As I began to brush, I thought, What if people treated scripture reading and praying the same way they do brushing their teeth?
Instant analogies flooded my mind.
If we don't brush our teeth, cavities form which need to be filled.
If we don't connect with God, cavities form in our soul which need to be filled.
But I can always get fillings to fix the problem later, so why not look at spirituality the same way?
I can always "repent" or compensate for my spiritual neglect later, right?
Well, if we don't go to the dentist regularly, our cavities are not filled and our teeth rot.If we don't go to church regularly (or wherever our "spiritual check-up" place is), our cavities are not filled and our soul rots.
The process of replacing teeth or root canals is a lot more painful than regular check-ups. I would even dare say that those who have been through them would agree it would have been worth it to go more often.
Perhaps the process of repenting as sin has built up is similarly of greater magnitude of pain to remedy?
Some other aspects of our health are affected as our teeth health is not good.
Other aspects of our lives--relationships, perspective as the world seems to go mad around us, etc.--suffer when we are not keeping our souls clean by "daily brushing."
Hmmm...I bet if we tried to, we could see the same type of immediate negative effects of neglecting our spiritual hygiene as we do our dental hygiene over the course of time. Recognize the pain, the effects of neglect...the nasty looking teeth. (Yes, I have had some nasty looking expressions on my face when I neglect to read my scripture and say my prayers.)
Only, the effect of an "un-brushed soul" seems to have far more negative and lasting effect on those around us, far more devastating than the negative aesthetics or bad breath that comes with poor dental hygiene.
Maybe my scripture reading and prayer should become as essential to my daily routine as my dental work. Kind of makes me think....
No comments:
Post a Comment