I enjoy going to the dentist because it’s like an existential crisis in real time.
The proximity to pain. The cost of repair. The pensive trust that what is being done to us is actually happening for us.
Perhaps the purpose of the dental visit is to replace old fillings or wipe away the decay of former things. Regardless, we rely on the doctor’s expertise to identify the problem point – usually rumbling in the roots, invisible to the eye – bring the hidden into light, and ensure that short-term hurt leads to long-term strength and function.
In life, we tend to bury things right there under the surface, afraid that thoughts or feelings will emerge like a tidal wave of destruction. But the truth we hold back – from fear, shame, or guilt – becomes the very words that break our own hearts. Our souls shatter.
Yet when revealed, bit by bit, the truth becomes beautiful and whole, a sure foundation to stand on and a life we’re called to live.
It’s not the honors and the prizes and the fancy outsides of life that ultimately nourish our souls. It’s the knowing that we can be trusted, that we never have to fear the truth, that the bedrock of our being is firm.
Mister Rogers
I built walls early in my life because I am sensitive to reactions and alert to judgment; this seemed like a smart self-protective measure to avoid the pain of embarrassment and rejection. My soul interpreted the strategy differently, because the Spirit knows grace and glory are meant to be revealed in us and therefore through us. So every part of me I held back became, basically, a lie.
God’s kindness is intended to lead us to repentance. Thus, we live according to the power of forgiveness, which sometimes works like a dental drill. We cover root pain with puffed up posturing, but by inviting Jesus and the Holy Spirit to dig in and purge those blockages below the surface, we heal the decay of self-hate, judgment, and false pride.
Our worthiness depends on God’s faithfulness. And therefore our faithfulness is meant to reveal God’s majesty and master plan.
The human condition, based on the meritocracy mindset, makes it very difficult to accept that there is nothing to do or earn.
Simply be.
Be faithful to the truth that the Lord of heaven and earth traded sovereignty for sacrifice.
Grace, mercy, and love form a more majestic mindset through which we glorify God with resilient faith and shameless hope because Jesus Christ is exactly who He claimed to be.
One of Satan’s most deceptive tricks is accusation based on deficit, and if the discourager tells us nothing we do will ever measure up, we are tempted to build ourselves up by looking for deficits in others.
But Jesus cast away shame by dying for us. In doing so, He sent the Advocate who sees possibility in everything, who testifies we are enough because Christ is Lord of everything, and by following Him, we begin to reflect His nature in our thoughts, words, and actions.
We participate in God’s story of salvation by believing and living by faith that Jesus came to save us, and by completing His purpose, Christ freed us to live our purpose and stand confident before God.
Jesus bore it all so we never have to hide.
