Your mouth is a window to your body's health

I'll come clean up front: it was finances that pushed me over the edge. For years I dreaded going to the dentist because I knew I would be lectured (while in a condition in which talking back is impossible) about the need to floss. At times I tried flossing, but never with any consistency. My fingers were too clumsy to hold that line at the needed angles to get in between my teeth.

 

After handing over another large sum of money for another cavity repair, I decided the time had come to confront the problem. I discovered floss picks, handy little gadgets that make it easier to get the floss into the inner recesses of one's mouth. I believe I can now declare that I've formed a new habit, having flossed nightly for the past few months (with very few exceptions).

 

Finances are a concern, but one's health should be a greater motivation. The folks at MayoClinic.com share their findings: "Although the eyes may be the window to the soul, your mouth is a window to your body's health. The state of your oral health can offer lots of clues about your overall health. Oral health and overall health are more connected than you might realize." I've heard it said that our armed forces recognize this link, and invest much money in soldiers' dental health.

 

Flossing is an example of going the extra mile. Brushing one's teeth is basic, but if you really want to do your best, flossing is a must. Thus, it leads one to think about "spiritual flossing".

 

No, there's no mention in Scripture of dental hygiene, but the idea of diligence can be found everywhere. Take, for example, 2 Timothy 2:15: "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." "Diligent" is translated from a word that means giving it everything you've got, as a runner straining to reach the finish line.

 

Jesus dismissed the idea that religion can be casual: "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able" (Luke 13:24). He was not speaking of pagans or atheists in that verse, but people who regard themselves as spiritual. They want to enter the gates of heaven. But they won't be able because they didn't "strive".

 

Jesus told a parable of one who scattered seed in various types of soil. One of those soils was "stony" ground, not a good environment for crop production. What was lacking? "But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while ..." (Matthew 13:20,21).

 

We're responsible for the type of soil we each represent: hard, stony, thorny or good. If my interest in Christianity is only casual, how can I prevent the spiritual decay that will inevitably come?

 

Those who neglect their teeth have a safety net called "dentures". But what happens when a person's neglect leads to spiritual illness and even death? Our Lord posed that challenging question in Matthew 16:26: "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?"

 

Our souls, even more than our teeth, are worth the effort. Take time each day for spiritual flossing!

 

Come to the light God offers! Study His word, the Bible. Worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Get in touch with us if you'd like to discuss these ideas further.

 

--Timothy D. Hall