I went to the dentist today for my six month check-up and teeth cleaning. Five minutes after I settled into "The Chair," I heard those dreaded words. "You know," said Terry in her sweetest, friendliest voice, as she scraped, picked and poked at some of my most sensitive tissues with various hook-like, needle-sharp surgical-steel instruments, "I hate to sound like a broken record, but... do you floss or use Stimudents ® or anything regularly?"
I knew she was going to say it. She has every six months, unfailingly, for the past nine years. And to reinforce her message, she always brings in The Dentist with his DDS and doctorly manner and "Hmms" and "Uh-huhs" ;who nods gravely and says, "Terry's right. Flossing's the thing you have to do, if you don't want serious gum problems later on." At this point in my life, now that most of the heavy-duty body work in my mouth is hopefully finished; drilling, filling, straightening, pulling, capping; the reason I still dread going to the dentist is mainly the guilt.
I've done a lot better in dental self-care in recent years, but it seems that I never quite measure up, can't quite keep up with everything I'm supposed to do. And this morning, as I once again contritely agreed with Terry and my dentist, and promised to try to do better, I had a horrible thought: Is this what we pastors do to our flocks as well?... "You know, I hate to sound like a broken record, but you really should be reading your Bible every day, doing your daily devotions, attending church every Sunday, tithing... It's for your own good, you know, if you want to avoid all that weeping and gnashing of teeth later on. (Of course, if you don't floss, you probably won't have to worry about the teeth gnashing too much.)"
Certainly there are obligations to the Christian life, things we ought to do, beginning with "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart" (Deut. 6:5), and "You must be born again," (John 3: 7) all the way through to "You shall be holy, for I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16) and "Do not neglect to meet together, as is the habit of some..." (Hebrew 10:25). Jesus and the apostles do not hesitate to use the imperative and we have to admit that the Bible is filled with "Thou shalts" and "Thou shalt nots." It's for our own good. And if we don't live up to all those commands... well, guilt is not necessarily a bad thing, if it causes us to change our ways. There is, after all, "a godly grief that produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret" (2 Corinthians 7:10). But I know that Terry and I would both be happier if I were motivated to floss by something other than my guilt.
I have an old Baptist preacher friend who's been humbled by some serious backsliding. Now that the Lord has literally delivered him from the gutter, saved his marriage and restored his ministry, his basic prayer is, "Lord, you know I don't always want to follow you, to do what's right. So please give me the right want-to."
And that’s my prayer for you and for me—that the Lord will give us, not simply the "desires of our hearts" but the right heart desires. The right want to. And in the meantime, I'm glad Terry keeps reminding me to floss.
Oh, by the way, a couple of reminders;
Under the Mercy,
Pastor Erwin