I had to go to the dentist yesterday to get a cracked tooth fixed. My teeth have never been very good and as a result, almost all of them are filled, and several have root canals and or caps. Yes, I really do try to keep care of them, but it doesn’t seem to help. So as I was getting the tooth fixed I heard the dentist say, “Oh, the root’s dead, we need to do a root canal.” Bleck! Great; just what I wanted L. My appointment ended up being a lot longer than I wanted, which made me forget to do some of the things I needed to after, and of course, once the freezing wore off, the aching began.
It was survivable as long as I didn’t bite down. Needless to say, eating was very difficult, so by the end of the night I was tired, cranky, whiney and hungry. (Totally not in the Spirit) Anyway, I was thinking how when a root is bad or dead, you can’t just leave it in there because it could infect the area around it and cause many more serious problems. Also, anyone who’s ever had an abscessed tooth will tell you it is one of the most painful things you will endure- though you won’t believe that unless you go through it- and let’s hope that never happens!
During a root canal, the dentist has to vigilantly get the entire root out using special instruments, and then take x-rays to make sure it is all out. Remember, if he misses any or the root canal is not performed, then infection can occur. I’m thinking maybe our lives are like that. Instead of removing the dead tissue or sinful/ worldly pleasures we enjoy, we just live with them in our lives and say, “I’ll deal with that another day. That little bit of behaviour or allowance of worldly pleasures won’t harm me too much.” But the truth is that we can’t know the true extent of that decision on ourselves, our relationship with the Lord, or our relationship with others.
So put to death your worldly impulses: sexual sin, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). Col. 3:5 ISV
For "the person who wants to love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. He must turn away from evil… 1Pt. 3:10 ,11 ISV
As obedient children, do not be shaped by the desires that you once had in your ignorance. Instead, just as the one who called you is holy, be holy in every aspect of your life. 1Pt. 1:14,15 ISV
Today, there is pain only when I bear down hard but I don’t have any concerns about the possibility of infection for I have a great dentist who removed all the bad tissue. The same concern for infection can be lessened if I remove the ‘bad influences’ of ungodly visual and auditory stimuli in my life. Just because something may be okay to do, doesn’t mean it’s healthy for me to do it (1Cor. 6:12). I try to keep this in mind daily as I decide how much worldly influence I will allow in my mind. I certainly don’t need any more infection or deadness left in me, and that is why I pray God will help remove all the bad tissue in my life so that I am free and clear: to live truly free.
And thanks God, I really do appreciate that this root died without an abscess.