Dental Floss

 by Macy Johnson

“The creation itself will be liberated

from its bondage to decay

and brought into the glorious freedom

of the children of God.”

(Romans 8:21 NIV)

 

A wise person once suggested, “Only floss the teeth you want to keep.”

 

I wish I had taken better care of my teeth. My wallet is seriously taking a beating now because of my former foolishness. My mouth is home to four tooth implants. I am thankful for my new teeth and the joy of a stronger and healthier bite.

 

My daughter recently confessed she felt disgust when she would walk into my bedroom at night and find me flossing my teeth. “Now,” she admitted, “I disgust myself, because I floss my teeth at night, too.”

 

As I get older, the spaces between my teeth shift and require more flossing between meals. Apple peels and popcorn kernels play hide-and-seek between my teeth.

 

Sin, like tooth decay, springs from day-to-day activities, including eating and drinking. Sin settles in my mind like plaque on my incisors. If I do not floss the sin out, it will decay my thoughts and eventually destroy my faith. Losing a tooth to decay is like losing a relationship to sin. I have unfortunately lost touch with some dear friends because I did not floss out the gossip and negative talk early.

 

The pain of cavities is like the pain of rejection and foolish choices. God calls me to confess my sins and trust Him to remove all the sticky shards out of my mouth and heart. His words are my heart’s dental floss.

 

I can hardly wait to get a new set of teeth in heaven. I vow to take better care of them there.

 

I will trust my heavenly Father to help me floss my heart clean for His glory today. I hope you will, too!