Jesus, the Great Power
The day finally came. My teenage daughter Clare would have her braces removed. She had been looking forward to this day since the first day her braces were put on. She had been the conscientious patient so her reward would be a few months reduction in her sentence. As I sat in the waiting room, I thought how our orthodontist payments would still continue but we would not have to make any more trips to the orthodontist. Wrong!
I discovered that for the next 6-8 weeks she would have to wear a “positioner”. It is a clear plastic contraption that resembles a mouth guard that a football player would wear. You are unable to eat or talk while wearing it, but it has to be worn as often as possible; and must be kept away from our dog. Dogs love to chew them up.
Before we met with the orthodontist, we saw a humorous and informative video about the “positioner”. We were told that once the braces came off, the teeth are loose and have the tendency to move back into their original position. Within time, they will firm up. Until then the positioner will help them “stay put”. Without the proper use of the positioner, braces might again be needed. “Oh, no!”
Driving away from the orthodontist, I CONSIDERED how the same is true of our spiritual journey. Coming into the faith is similar to having braces put on. Just as when the braces come off and time passes, we are also vulnerable to going back to where we used to be. Our time for God lessens; we don’t pray as much. Worship and Sunday school are not top priorities. Little by little we move away from God and again allow the world to shape our lives.
As with our teeth, so with our spiritual lives. We need that all important positioner. We need Jesus Christ. We need to work just as diligently, maybe even more so, to develop our spiritual lives as we work at our worldly enterprises. We need to come more and more into the presence of Christ and allow Him to mold us after His likeness.
“You have been a good patient,” the dentist said to our daughter as we were leaving. “A few more weeks and we’ll be there!” May we also be good “patients” of God and know that if properly positioned we, too, will “be there” as His people in all that we do. Go to worship!
Rev. Wendell Mettey
11/13/1989
Revised 9/28/2013
