Dental Lessons

Lessons from our Teeth Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them. Song of Solomon 4 v 2 The Lord extols the faithful of His flock as being like the teeth. The faithful are rooted in the Lord as our teeth are rooted in the gums. The converse image is also true that the faithless are like toothless tigers for as they gnash their teeth in anger, hopeless and frustration, they damage their teeth and eventually lose it. Sin stains our lives just as chewing tobacco or other types of stimulants stain our teeth. Just as vinegar damages the calcium of the teeth, sin damages and leaves its ill effects on our lives. When someone or something lacks the thrust of effectiveness, we say that it has lost the teeth. We are called to be the head and not the tail, the teeth and not toothless gums. Just as plaque affects the teeth and we need to do periodic scaling, similarly we need to periodically deal with the distortions that have crept into our lives. The Word of God is the nourishing blood supply or lifeline that emerges from the root and reaches the crown of the teeth. Just as different types of teeth are meant for different functions, believers are endowed with different gifts, talents and calling. Just as the teeth work together in unison, believers need to work in a spirit of unity and agreement. The teeth are a full set of tools that are packed into the small space of our mouths. Similarly, in the space of 66 books of the Bible, the full set of tools of self -management, other management, leadership, problem-solving and for shaping our eternal perspectives is provided. . In criminal jurisprudence, when a man suffers a broken tooth in an assault, it is considered a grievous injury as repair cannot replace the original tooth. When I was quite young, in a fight with my older sibling I fell on my face and broke my front incisor tooth. Recently, the dentist told me that the tooth root is dead and that is why the colour of the tooth had also faded. He then chipped the affected tooth to a third of its size and then welded an artificial porcelain tooth over it. Many of us in life go through life covering our spiritually dead or dormant lives with something artificial that will appear like the original. But the Lord like a good dentist can make out an artificial life from a real one. When we get real and intimate with the Lord, He will delight in us as a lover delights in even his beloved ‘s teeth as seen in the uni-verse above. We need to keep our lives spotless, clean and white like our teeth by daily maintenance. When we do our daily meditation and prayer, it is like brushing the teeth. The teeth are meant to embellish our smiles and not used for gnashing and grinding like wild animals do when they sense danger. Just as all our teeth operates in pairs, believers need to work in pairs for greater effectiveness. The Word says that “ the sour grapes eaten by the father sets the children’ s teeth on edge.” The “sour grapes” refer to the perspectives, attitudes and actions of the people of a particular generaton. We should take care to see that our spiritual legacy does not have a negative effect on our generations Prateep V Philip