Love, Braces, and The Test

     Recently, one of our associate pastors, Shay Reyner, preached a message that challenged my thoughts and actions. In the message he asked us to answer 6 questions and then grade ourselves. The first question was easy, pretty much a yes or no answer. I answered "all the time" and scored a high 5! I was feeling right spiritually smug until Shay asked the next question, and then the next and then the next. Uh-oh. My score ended up being as dismal as my high school SAT Math score.  I am not a Math scholar. I simply don't understand why we need to know what A, B,X, or Y is. If it were that important, it would be there already. But this test wasn't about Math.
     All of the questions caused me to ponder my relationship with Christ but the one that I thought about over and over was #6 - "Do I see people the way God sees them or through the world's eyes?" (Probably not exactly as Shay asked it but you get the point.) It's easy to answer yes, I see people as God sees them when it refers to people that I love or people that are easy to get along with. Easy obedience! But, then again, God commands us to love everyone. So why can't I see EVERYONE through his eyes?
     For 30 years I've worked as a Dental Assistant. For 23 of those years, I've worked for the same orthodontist, Dr. Diehl. During this time I've had the pleasure of dealing with many different people with many different personalities. God has made each one of us unique and I've definitely seen my share of "unique" in all the patients and families we have treated. We have many wonderful patients and families. I've had the privilege of counting them among my friends.Most patients are easy to love, some others, not so much. But I am commanded to love the others too. Really? Even the ones who habitually miss their appointments? How about the ones who are late EVERY time? Or the ones who never return my call? What about the patient that NEVER brushes his or her teeth? The one who NEVER wears their elastics or headgear like they should? Better yet, do I have to love the ones that smell bad, look bad, have stinky breath and are completely different from me? I know the answer to these questions. The answer to all these questions is .....YES! Today, I sat down with a patient that I know without a doubt had not brushed his teeth within the last 48 hours. The plaque looked like snow on his teeth. But as I was removing his wires, scraping grungy plaque off his teeth,and showing him how to brush once AGAIN,  the Holy Spirit brought Shay's question back into my mind as it has many times over the last two days. Do I see this boy as God sees him? Do I love him? How can I love him and the "others"? And then, as I was staring into this mouth before me, it hit me. God saw me  like I saw this boy, grungy with "plaque" all over me. I was covered with sin and no amount of brushing and flossing could remove it. No amount of good works would make me presentable to God. Sin made me smell bad, look bad and caused a stinky spirit within me. The only toothbrush and toothpaste that will remove the "plaque" of sin, wash me up, and make me presentable is Christ's blood. When I thought of this it was easier to see this boy and the others from God's eyes. Because I can see the reality of myself from God's eyes. I can love this boy and others because God loved me first, grunge and all. He was merciful and compassionate as He drew me to himself, before I was "cleaned up". And then with the Spirit in me, He started transforming me. He lovingly started to brush the grunge away. Bit by bit, piece by piece. He flossed down into the crevices of my heart to remove the crud.
     From now on, as I sit down with a patient and as I live in this world, I pray the Lord will remind me of his mercy and grace, therefore enabling me to show mercy and grace to others. I pray He will remind me of His love that enables me to love everyone. Even the others.

1 John 4:10,11 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear Friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.