Destress the Damsel

Heavenly Hygiene: My Dentist’s Determination

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(the following is adapted from the tune sung by Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music)

Caps on incisors and people who listen
And brush all their teeth till they sparkle and glisten.
Children who don’t even flinch when it stings,
These are a few of my favourite things.

Ladies who floss and have good solid fillings,
Men who can rinse without all of it spilling.
Breath that smells fresh as a garden in spring,
These are a few of my favourite things.

Hygienists who seem to know just what they’re doing,
Patients who use their teeth only for chewing.
Enamel with no spots where nasty plaque clings
These are a few of my favourite things.

When the child nips,
When the drill slips,
When I’m feeling sad
I simply remember my favourite things
And then I don’t feel so bad.

X-rays devoid of all manner of caries,
Children with faith in the good old tooth fairy.
Choirs whose teeth brighten their mouths when they sing,
These are a few of my favourite things.

Patients who come every six months for screening
Happy to offer their champers for cleaning,
Enjoying the fun that a root canal brings,
These are a few of my favourite things.

Teenagers trained to take care of their braces,
Dental conventions in faraway places.
Days that I leave feeling just like a king
These are a few of my favourite things.

When a tooth breaks,
When my back aches,
When I’m feeling sad
I simply remember my favourite things
And then I don’t feel so bad.

– “Dental Poem: My Favourite Things” by Mary Strever, February 5, 2019

This silly dental ditty confirms one thing in my mind: I have a great deal of respect for anyone brave enough to be a dentist!

Earlier this month, the Bolks party of four trekked into our local dentist for our semi-annual checkups and cleanings. When it comes to all the various departments in medical care, it never ceases to amaze me how blessed we are to live in the time period that we do. In 21st century America, we are apt to take for granted the ease of access to a whole field dedicated primarily to our chompers! Accessing dental care hasn’t always been so easy, you know. As recently as the 19th century, the only feasible option for dentistry would have been the traveling “tinker” who might be persuaded to pull an aching tooth when he finally arrived to you on his countryside rounds.

You might say the old way of dental care, as well as the modern, both have a pro and a con to them. On the plus side of the old, your dentist would come to you…but he was not readily accessible. On the plus side of the new, your dentist is readily accessible…but he doesn’t make house calls. This begs the question…where might one get the best of both worlds? Wouldn’t it be great to have a dentist who you could call on anytime, and a dentist who would take the time to meet you where you are at? I think you can see where I’m going with this…Jesus (symbolically speaking, of course) is such a One.

In Heavenly Hygiene: My Dentist’s Determination, we are going to typify our Lord as the Dentist of Dentists. We will analogize 5 ways that Christ’s work in the spirit is akin to that of a dentist’s work in the mouth. While a dentist is concerned about dental hygiene, Jesus is concerned about our heavenly hygiene. And he is bound and determined to present us clean and spotless before God. Let us now dive into our “appointment” with Him.

Heavenly Hygiene Item #1:

The first line of action in a dental appointment is to scrape away the pesky plaque and tartar that builds up on teeth in between appointments. No matter how healthy of an eater a patient may be, none are immune from sugars building up on their teeth and causing decay. The dentist must scrape away the filth in order to get our pearly whites back to a clean and healthy state.

Jesus, like a dentist, is in the business of removing filth. No matter how godly an individual may be, none are immune to sin that builds up and causes spiritual decay:

They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one. – Psalm 14:3

But wait, there’s more! Heavenly Hygiene Item #2:

The second line of action in a dental appointment is to furbish the teeth with a high-powered electric brush. This scrubs away at any remaining plaque and tartar that may have been left behind after the scraping/scaling, leaving the teeth squeaky clean and polished.

Jesus, like a dentist, is in the business of furbishing. He doesn’t merely scrape away the filth that is on the surface, but he scrubs and polishes until that which is underneath the surface is whiter than snow.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. – Psalm 51:7

But wait, there’s more! Heavenly Hygiene Item #3:

The third line of action in a dental appointment is to administer a professional floss between the teeth. Plaque and tartar can hide away in hard to reach spots that can only be reached by flossing. The flossing process can also help detect any problem spots where excessive bleeding might occur that points to gum disease.

Jesus, like a dentist, is in the flossing business. He is concerned about cleaning up those “in-between” areas of our spirit…the places where we have become hard to reach because of some hidden sin we are clinging on to.

…cleanse thou me from secret faults. – Psalm 19:12b 

But wait, there’s more! Heavenly Hygiene Item #4:

The fourth line of action in a dental appointment is to flush out debris by rinsing the mouth out with clean water. After all that scraping, polishing, and flossing, one can only imagine how much icky residue is still left behind!

Jesus, like a dentist, is in the business of flushing away debris. Even after our filth has been removed, and our furbishing and flossing have been taken care of, there is still bound to be some gunk in our spirit moving forward. It comes with the fleshly territory. Thank goodness Jesus has the power to rinse it away.

Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. – Ezekiel 36:25

But wait, there’s more! Heavenly Hygiene Item #5:

The fifth and final line of action in a dental appointment is to coat the teeth with a fluoride treatment. This is meant to serve as a protective barrier against cavities for several months in between cleanings.

Jesus, like a dentist, is in the business of fluoride treatment. He doesn’t merely clean us up and hit the road, but he covers and equips us by providing us with protective barriers against further decay. (i.e. the Bible, the Holy Spirit, our church family, the fruit of the Spirit, the armor of God, etc.)

I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. – John 14:18-19

In conclusion…

Next time you pay a visit the dentist, I hope you will be reminded of the “Dentist” that wants to pay a visit to you.

How is your Heavenly Hygiene? Are you due for an appointment with Jesus? He is more than qualified to deal with the filth, the furbish, the floss, the flush, and the fluoride. And get this – He is so concerned with your Heavenly Hygiene that He will come visit you wherever you are. Now that is one determined dentist! If you have questions about how to become a “patient” of Jesus, please visit my past article entitled “Buy Four, Get One Free“.

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. – 1 Thessalonians 5:23

For God’s Glory,
Mrs. Dustin Bolks

Mrs. Dustin Bolks is a church of Christ preacher’s wife, and the home educating mother of two children. She and her family currently reside in Northwest Iowa.

The Grass is Always Greener for the Other Guy

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Whose luck is better far than ours?
The other fellow’s.
Whose road seems always lined with flowers?
The other fellow’s.
Who is the man who seems to get
Most joy in life, with least regret,
Who always seems to win his bet?
The other fellow.
Who fills the place we think we’d like?
The other fellow.
Whom does good fortune always strike?
The other fellow.
Whom do we envy, day by day?
Who has more time than we to play?
Who is it, when we mourn, seems gay?
The other fellow.
Who seems to miss the thorns we find?
The other fellow.
Who seems to leave us all behind?
The other fellow.
Who never seems to feel the woe,
The anguish and the pain we know?
Who gets the best seats at the show?
The other fellow.
And yet, my friend, who envies you?
The other fellow.
Who thinks he gathers only rue?
The other fellow.
Who sighs because he thinks that he
Would infinitely happier he,
If he could be like you or me?
The other fellow.

– “The Other Fellow” by Edgar Albert Guest

“The grass is always greener on the other side“…we all know this popular phrase. In a nutshell, it means that from your side of the fence (i.e. your perspective), it always appears that your neighbor’s grass is greener (i.e. his life is better than yours). Edgar Albert Guest captured this concept well in his poem, “The Other Fellow”…he points out that even though we might have “jelly on the belly” for our neighbor’s supposed good fortune, our neighbor is likely looking across the fence at us thinking the same thing that we are of him. You might say that we all tend to think “the grass is always greener for the other guy”…

What does it mean to you when I say the word, “covet“? I think that when most of us think of covetousness, we think of the coveting of material items. We might think of someone lusting and longing after another’s spouse, car, home, furnishings, etc. and wishing these things for their own. Coveting is a sin that seems so far removed, because the majority of us do not struggle with coveting in the sense that we are pining for others’ possessions. However, there is a very dangerous version of covetousness that most of us do engage in from time to time. It is often referred to as “Grass is Greener Syndrome”. This “sickness” (spiritually speaking, of course) is this age-old idea that the other fellow is better off than we are. We may not covet another man’s stuff, but we feel justified to covet his station and status. We might think, “He/she really has it made. It’s just not fair that everything always goes right for him/her, and here I am left in a cloud of dust. I wish I could have just an ounce of that kind of ease.” Let us not deceive ourselves, coveting is coveting – whether we covet a man’s loot, his lot, or his luck. It shows us to be selfish and ungrateful for our own blessings.

Do you ever find yourself feeling like The Grass is Always Greener for the Other Guy? If so, I have compiled three tips by which we can kick that negative thinking to the curb. If ever you are tempted to covet another person’s circumstances, you must…

I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. – Ecclesiastes 9:11

My dear friend and sister in Christ, Pat, often says, “we all take our turn.” That is exactly what the verse above is saying. We ought not to covet after those who appear to have more speed, strength, wisdom, understanding, skills, etc. than we do, for each and every one of us will have our time to shine. We all experience highs and lows, and you can wager that no matter how good “the other guy” seems to have it, he has his own unique set of problems that we don’t see on the surface.

That guy who has his gorgeous house paid off? Perhaps he’s working 60 hours a week just to scrape by and pay off his massive property tax. Maybe his wife and kids just wish that Daddy could spend more time at home instead of at the office. That lady who always brings the perfectly decorated cupcakes to the neighborhood fundraiser? Perhaps she botched up her first batch and then spent a half hour stewing over it while her kids avoided “poking the bear”. That man who has the most beautiful wife hanging on his arm? Perhaps at home she nags him mercilessly..berating him and critiquing his every move. That popular girl who draws the attention of every Tom, Dick, & Harry? Perhaps she cries in her room at night just wishing she could find her dream guy that isn’t so shallow and worldly.

Let’s face it, it’s highly unlikely that the small glimpse we see into another’s public life reveals their whole story. Before we are so quick to say “the grass is greener for the other guy”, let us wager his lows.

…He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust. – Matthew 5:45b

If ever you are tempted to covet another person’s circumstances, you must…

Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. – Hebrews 13:5

Now, let’s look at the other side of the coin. Let’s say you are right…the grass really is greener for the other guy. He has zero problems, a life of total ease, and everything he could possibly want. Now what? Would such a situation justify coveting? Absolutely not, because in so doing, we will have forgotten that God is the author of our blessings. To covet after another man’s lot is to wipe away the providential lot we have been given, and to selfishly reach for more than the Lord has allowed us to obtain presently.

Coveting is based on this faulty idea that we deserve to have someone else’s blessings. Yet, if we are being honest with ourselves, we will realize that we really don’t deserve anything in life. The difficult truth is this: the only thing we sinners “deserve” is Hell. If we have found salvation in Jesus Christ, we already have far more than what we deserve. When we stop looking at what we don’t have and start looking at what we do have – the amazing promise that God will never leave or forsake those who are committed to Him – we will count ourselves very blessed indeed. When covetous thoughts creep in, we need to whisper God’s love to ourselves and be reminded of how much we truly have from Him and in Him.

Furthermore, we need to whisper to ourselves of God’s love for “the other guy”. After all, is he not also a child of the Most High? Would we be so self-centered as to wish to deprive him of his God-given blessings? Rather, we are called to have true joy for the successes of others. Before we are so quick to say, “the grass is always greener for the other guy”, let us whisper God’s love.

Rejoice with them that do rejoice… – Romans 12:15a

If ever you are tempted to covet another person’s circumstances, you must…

And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door… – Genesis 4:6-7a

There is an anonymous phrase I see floating around on social media from time to time. It says something to this effect: “You may think the grass is greener on the other side, but if you would take the time to water your own grass, it would be just as green.” There are times where our “grass” (our life circumstance) becomes brown and lifeless, and it is entirely of our own doing. We may recognize that others seem to have it more together than we do, because, well…they do! Sometimes the successes of others can be wake-up calls for areas that need great improvement in our lives. It can be very painful to realize our shortcomings, but these realizations can provide much growth if we let them.

If we see someone that has a great deal more Bible knowledge than we do, we might be tempted to covet. Instead, we should recognize that we are lagging behind in our own study and need to spend more time in God’s word. If we see someone who has a more glorious and loving marriage than we do, we might be tempted to covet. Instead, we should try to emulate their example by molding more perfectly into the God-given roles for husbands and wives. If we see someone who has more well-behaved and respectful children than we do, we might be tempted to covet. Instead, we should get more serious about our own call to train up our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Coveting is the lazy man’s way out of taking responsibility. It’s easy to blame our poor circumstances on sheer luck, when it may in fact be our own imperfections that are getting in the way of the more abundant life we could be living. Before we are so quick to say, “the grass is always greener for the other guy”, let us water our lawn.

Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. – 1 Corinthians 9:24

In conclusion…

If ever you should find yourself overtaken by “Grass is Greener Syndrome”, call to mind these three covet-curbing tricks:

Wager His Lows
Whisper God’s Love
Water Your Lawn

And instead of focusing on the other fellow’s yard, remember what great things God is doing for yours…

“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures…” – Psalm 23:2a

For God’s Glory,
Mrs. Dustin Bolks

Mrs. Dustin Bolks is a church of Christ preacher’s wife, and the home educating mother of two children. She and her family currently reside in Northwest Iowa.

What do Kindergarten, Coronavirus, and Christianity Have in Common?

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“‘Why is a raven like a writing-desk?’

‘Come, we shall have some fun now!’ thought Alice. ‘I’m glad they’ve begun asking riddles. – I believe I can guess that,’ she added aloud.

…

Alice thought over all she could remember about ravens and writing-desks, which wasn’t much.”

– Excerpts taken from chapter 7 of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Such riddles as the one that The Mad Hatter posed to Alice in Lewis Carroll’s classic book may keep the mind reeling for days. ‘What on earth do ravens and writing-desks have in common?’, Carroll’s readers have wondered for decades. Today, I present my readers with a riddle of my own: What do Kindergarten, Coronavirus, and Christianity Have in Common? Here we have three seemingly unrelated topics, yet I propose that they have more in common than we might think.

You may be sick and tired of hearing about it: COVID 19. The globally infamous, hot-button, oft-debated topic of 2020. No matter what opinions you hold, no matter if you think Coronavirus is underrated or overrated, no matter if you are in your home or gallivanting around town, I guarantee COVID 19 has touched your life in some way, shape, or form. Even if you have escaped the virus, you have not escaped the effects of it. Therefore, I believe it is important to continue to glean whatever spiritual truths we can from this pandemic to further grow ourselves and our faith. Join me as I delve into 5 ways that Kindergarten, Coronavirus, and Christianity are alike.

Commonality #1: With all three, you must…

In Kindergarten, you must wash your hands. It’s very likely that in early elementary, your teacher stressed to you and your classmates the importance of being hygienic – which probably included a whole lot of hand washing. Maybe you sang “wash, wash, wash your hands” to the tune of “row, row, row your boat” as you and your pals scrubbed and sent the germs down the drain. As any teacher knows, a classroom full of children is ideal for spreading sickness like wildfire, and a good teacher will attempt to keep outbreaks to a minimum with good health practices.

During Coronavirus, you must wash your hands. You may find your memory once again being drawn back to those early childhood days of learning proper hand washing. We see it continually on the internet, hear it on the radio, and read it on business signage: “please wash your hands!” It may seem like common sense to keep one’s hands clean, but sadly not everyone is on the same page when it comes to hygiene. (If I had a dollar for every time I saw someone leave a public restroom after skipping the water and soap, I’d be rich. Eww. But, I digress…)

With Christianity, you must wash your hands. Psalm 24:3-4b says, “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands…” This may bring our mind back to the priests of the Old Testament who could only enter the tabernacle after washing (Exodus 30:20). As New Testament Christians, we are now part of God’s holy priesthood (1 Peter 2:5) and symbolically, we are to be “washed” in baptism before entering the Lord’s presence. (Acts 22:16)

Washing your hands isn’t only important in Kindergarten and during Coronavirus, but it is essential with Christianity!

What do Kindergarten, Coronavirus, and Christianity have in common? Commonality #2: With all three, you must…

In Kindergarten, you must follow your leader. You probably spent many a recess playing “Follow the Leader”: a simple game where one individual leads a line of people who mimic his every action. More importantly, though, you probably spent many a class period learning to “follow the leader”…that is, your teacher. School is not solely about education, but can also be a fruitful training ground to learn virtues such as obedience, adherence to rules, and an eagerness to please one’s superior.

During Coronavirus, you must follow your leader. From quarantine, to social distancing, to increased cleaning measures, there are many new guidelines coming at us daily from our White House. COVID 19 has forced many of us to reveal whether we will be rebellious or righteous in response to the guidelines of our governing authorities. Will we cheerfully submit to those who have the rule over us (the President, our governors, etc.)? Or will we do things our own way if we deem their mandates unreasonable?

With Christianity, you must follow your leader. This leader may differ from person to person, depending on gender, marital state, citizenship, etc. For example, if you are a married woman, your husband is your head…whereas if you are a single or married man, your head is Christ (1 Corinthians 11:3). A child within the home is under the authority of his or her parents (Ephesians 6:1), and a citizen of a nation is subject to the authorities of their land (1 Peter 2:13-14). Furthermore, Jesus our Lord says, “Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” (Mark 8:34, emphasis mine)

Following your leader isn’t only important in Kindergarten and during Coronavirus, but it is essential with Christianity!

What do Kindergarten, Coronavirus, and Christianity have in common? Commonality #3: With all three, you must…

In Kindergarten, you must cover your mouth. You probably heard it a time or two (hundred) from your teacher. An uncovered cough or sneeze can spread sickness and wreak havoc in a room full of youngsters. Your teachers probably encouraged you to keep those germs at bay by coughing/sneezing into your elbow or, at the least, a hand that would quickly be washed!

During Coronavirus, you must cover your mouth. It has been suggested (but not mandated) by health officials to wear a mask while in public to keep the germs of coughs and sneezes from projecting onto those around us (yuck!). If not wearing a mask, it is at least important to make sure that the germs are contained by completely covering your mouth. This seems like another “no-brainer”, but again, there are many who do not care to practice good hygiene, thus making the reminders necessary.

With Christianity, you must cover your mouth. Proverbs 30:32 admonishes, “If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, lay thine hand upon thy mouth.” We must constantly evaluate if what is coming out of our mouths is Christlike, and if the answer is “no”, we must amend our speech. Are lies coming out (Proverbs 12:22)? I need to cover my mouth. Gossip (1 Timothy 5:13)? I need to cover it. Filthiness (Ephesians 5:4)? You guessed, it…my mouth needs covering. If bad things are flying out of my mouth, it’s a sign that I am “sick” and thus highly contagious to those around me.

Covering your mouth isn’t only important in Kindergarten and during Coronavirus, but it is essential with Christianity!

What do Kindergarten, Coronavirus, and Christianity have in common? Commonality #4: With all three, you must keep…

In Kindergarten, you must keep hands to yourself. (This is of course only required in certain situations.) There was always that one kid in school that was hitting, pinching, and punching; or taking things like crayons and toys from his classmates. The teacher probably reprimanded him, “keep your hands to yourself!” – because the bully was using his hands for harming and not for helping.

During Coronavirus, you must keep hands to yourself. Social distancing continues to be an important measure used to slow the spread of COVID 19. The White House guidelines indicate keeping six feet apart from those who are not of one’s household. Physical contact with those outside the family has been temporarily put on hold to minimize sickness and protect the vulnerable of our nation. Because our hands have the potential to bring harm, they must be kept to ourselves.

With Christianity, you must keep hands to yourself. 1 Timothy 5:22 warns, “Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure.” In other words, don’t be too quick to jump to judgmental conclusions about others…you end up bringing judgment upon yourself. Are we to take concerned action when we see a brother falling into sin? You bet…but not to the extent that we make ourselves judge over his life, critiquing his every motive and assuming the worst of him. Rather, we ought to judge righteous judgment that is not based on appearance (John 7:24), acting in a spirit of meekness when correction is necessary (Galatians 6:1), and leaving the rest up to God who is the ultimate judge of mankind (Romans 14:4).

Keeping hands to yourself isn’t only important in Kindergarten and during Coronavirus, but it is essential with Christianity!

What do Kindergarten, Coronavirus, and Christianity have in common? Commonality #5: With all three, you must…

In Kindergarten, you must stay with your group. Many children have curious tendencies that can get them into trouble…like wandering and getting separated from the rest of the field trip group and nearly giving the teacher a heart attack! This is why head counts are commonplace on group excursions, along with the dreaded “matching tee shirts”. It’s easy for a child to wander off and get lost in a crowd, so teachers must constantly remind their students to stick together.

During Coronavirus, you must stay with your group. In the early stages of quarantine, it was advised not to socialize with those outside of your immediate family to cut down on virus exposure. We were all urged to stay close to home and only go out for essentials such as groceries. Many were laid off work, and spending quality time at home with their families was a silver lining to the otherwise dark cloud hovering over America.

With Christianity, you must stay with your group. In our throw-away culture, it is becoming easier and easier for people to walk out on their church family without even a backwards glance. Hebrews 10:24-25 condemns this behavior: “…let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Nobody has the perfect family, and nobody has the perfect church family. We all have idiosyncrasies that can get under each other’s skin…and unfortunately, sometimes blatant sin in our midst. Nonetheless, this should never cause us to abandon Christ’s church for which He died. Rather, we ought to practice patience; teaching one another (2 Timothy 2:24-26), bearing one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2), and being tenderhearted and forgiving to each other (Ephesians 4:32). We can trust God to separate the wheat from the chaff in the end.

Staying with your group isn’t only important in Kindergarten and during Coronavirus, but it is essential with Christianity!

In conclusion…

What do Kindergarten, Coronavirus, and Christianity have in common? A whole lot! With all three, I must wash my hands, follow my leader, cover my mouth, keep hands to myself, and stay with my group. There is, however, a very notable difference between the three: while Kindergarten and Coronavirus are only temporary, our Christianity is eternal. Kindergarten and Coronavirus are here and then gone from our lives in the blink of an eye, but we are forever left with the spiritual lessons they pointed us to.

Oh, and about that riddle…

“”Have you guessed the riddle yet?” the Hatter said, turning to Alice again. 
“No, I give it up,” Alice replied, “What’s the answer?”
“I haven’t the slightest idea,” said the Hatter.
“Nor I,” said the March Hare.
Alice sighed wearily. “I think you might do something better with the time,” she said, “than wasting it in asking riddles that have no answers.””

– Excerpt taken from chapter 7 of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

May you find yourself faring better than Alice today, my friends.

For God’s glory,
Mrs. Dustin Bolks

Mrs. Dustin Bolks is a church of Christ preacher’s wife, and the home educating mother of two children. She and her family currently reside in Northwest Iowa.