teeth
When I started writing the Blogs ( Lent and Advent) lots of years ago now, I wasnt sure what format they would take. I've tried a few different things - doing a daily Bible study and using a book as a framework, but have decided that what God wants me to do is just to write about the spiritual lessons I see in my everyday experiences. As I make a conscious effort to look for Him in my ordinary life it's amazing how often He speaks about odd and unexpected things.
Teeth.
I've been pretty fortunate with my teeth over the years. Have been to the dentist every six months and rarely had to have anything done. But a few weeks ago I started to notice a pain in one of my big back molars and , long and short, I ended up having to have the tooth removed. It had split in two and there was no saving it. Which was a bit of a surprise. I went in to the dentist thinking Id make an appointment to go in the next week for a filling. Half an hour later I was walking out with a huge hole in my mouth! So what has God got to say about that then? Given that He pretty much always has something to say about everything, I thought I'd ask Him. 😊
First place I usually start is with the Bible. What does it have to say about teeth? Well, mostly lots and lots of verses about wailing and gnashing of teeth in the outer darkness ! But I did find something really interesting in Exodus 21
Teeth.
I've been pretty fortunate with my teeth over the years. Have been to the dentist every six months and rarely had to have anything done. But a few weeks ago I started to notice a pain in one of my big back molars and , long and short, I ended up having to have the tooth removed. It had split in two and there was no saving it. Which was a bit of a surprise. I went in to the dentist thinking Id make an appointment to go in the next week for a filling. Half an hour later I was walking out with a huge hole in my mouth! So what has God got to say about that then? Given that He pretty much always has something to say about everything, I thought I'd ask Him. 😊
First place I usually start is with the Bible. What does it have to say about teeth? Well, mostly lots and lots of verses about wailing and gnashing of teeth in the outer darkness ! But I did find something really interesting in Exodus 21
“If a man strikes the eye of his male or female slave, and destroys it, he shall let him go free on account of his eye.
“And if he 1knocks out a tooth of his male or female slave, he shall let him go free on account of his tooth. (v 26,27)
This struck me. Firstly I love that God explicitly says male or female - in a culture in which female slaves must surely have been right at the very very bottom of the pile, God sees those women and cares.
According to my brief research into the matter of slavery in the Bible, if a slave was injured by his/her master they were to be freed with the equivalent of 30 shekles worth of cash clothing and goods. In practice this became a payment of 30 shekles - enough to see the slave with enough means to be independent for a while until they could find work as freedmen.
Secondly Im surprised that the loss of a tooth is seen as damaging as the loss of an eye. Perhaps it is because in the days before antibiotics and dentistry any physical injury could prove fatal if infection set in. God really does show His care for the small things. He loves ALL His people.
Next I spend a bit of time asking God what He is saying to me about my experience - what does my loss of a tooth mean in my own life and what spiritual application might there be?
Well the thing that Im most aware of is the gap. Theres a gap in my bite, and the gap seems disproportionately huge compared with the size of the tooth that came out. Perhaps God is saying that loss leaves a bigger hole than one would rationally expect. What it looks like to the outside world is not how Im experiencing it from the inside. Others see a 15mm gap in my mouth. I FEEL as though half my teeth have gone! My tongue keeps going to the hole. Im eating very carefully on the other side of my mouth. The adjacent teeth are now exposed in ways they have not been before. This is what loss, in the wider sense, is like
I've had a few losses in my life, three step-parents, all my grandparents and a very dear elderly friend. But thankfully so far I havent had to experience a gut wrenching, heartbreaking , life devastating loss. It is coming. Dad is 87 and three years into a one year terminal cancer diagnosis. Mum is 81. I know many of you have already been there. God is reminding me to be very careful of those who are grieving losses - not just of people but of things too. Loss which might appear minor or insignificant to me can be a gaping hole in someone elses life. Maybe just for a short time. But perhaps for a long time or forever.
Hopefully I'll be able to have the hole in my mouth filled ( Ps 81:10 😉 ) with an implant or a bridge or something - other losses are not so easily fixed and change things forever. Whilst Ive still got my gap ,Im going to be daily reminded of this. Maybe I will just be a little more careful with people I meet who are suffering loss this week.
PS Coffee. It's OK if someone else buys you a coffee isnt it? 😄
According to my brief research into the matter of slavery in the Bible, if a slave was injured by his/her master they were to be freed with the equivalent of 30 shekles worth of cash clothing and goods. In practice this became a payment of 30 shekles - enough to see the slave with enough means to be independent for a while until they could find work as freedmen.
Secondly Im surprised that the loss of a tooth is seen as damaging as the loss of an eye. Perhaps it is because in the days before antibiotics and dentistry any physical injury could prove fatal if infection set in. God really does show His care for the small things. He loves ALL His people.
Next I spend a bit of time asking God what He is saying to me about my experience - what does my loss of a tooth mean in my own life and what spiritual application might there be?
Well the thing that Im most aware of is the gap. Theres a gap in my bite, and the gap seems disproportionately huge compared with the size of the tooth that came out. Perhaps God is saying that loss leaves a bigger hole than one would rationally expect. What it looks like to the outside world is not how Im experiencing it from the inside. Others see a 15mm gap in my mouth. I FEEL as though half my teeth have gone! My tongue keeps going to the hole. Im eating very carefully on the other side of my mouth. The adjacent teeth are now exposed in ways they have not been before. This is what loss, in the wider sense, is like
Hopefully I'll be able to have the hole in my mouth filled ( Ps 81:10 😉 ) with an implant or a bridge or something - other losses are not so easily fixed and change things forever. Whilst Ive still got my gap ,Im going to be daily reminded of this. Maybe I will just be a little more careful with people I meet who are suffering loss this week.
PS Coffee. It's OK if someone else buys you a coffee isnt it? 😄
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