Cavities Need Filled

I was wiping down countertops recently, and hit a discolored spot that just wouldn’t come clean. I scrubbed that place hard, and tried everything before I realized it was actually a hole. And I had the following thought: Duh, Julie- You can’t scrub away a hole. If you want it gone, you have to fill it with something.

I’m a genius, I know. (Please don’t ask how long I scrubbed that spot. Just don’t.)

In my defense, the hole was under an appliance, so I couldn’t really tell that it wasn’t a stain until I got up close to it. All that scrubbing just to find out it was a hole…made me think of my teeth!

Have you ever had a cavity? When I was a kid I had awful teeth. My top teeth had to be capped to protect them from rotting out of my head. Praise the Lord now my adult teeth are all fine, but when I was young I had cavities like I was trying to win a contest. I have loads of fillings in my mouth. With all my international travel, I’m surprised I don’t set off the metal detectors!

I was also a stubborn, deceptive child. (I know you’re shocked. Rein it in and focus, please.)

I used to pretend to brush my teeth all the time. I’d turn on the water, actually put toothpaste on my brush, and then let it just run down the sink. And I sometimes used my grubby hands (wash after using the toilet after a brief break from living my best life outside? As if!!) to smear the toothpaste off and out of the bristles.

How dumb is that?!? Like my mom didn’t know I hadn’t actually brushed. The smell of my breath alone was a dead giveaway. Never mind the carpet of gunk on my teeth leftover from the day. But hey, if it didn’t bother me, then why should anyone else complain, right?

What were we talking about? Oh yeah- cavities. There is a point here!

In case you didn’t know, a cavity is a hole in your tooth. It’s an opening on the hard surface of your enamel that constantly expands unless it’s treated. The bigger the hole, the more layers of your tooth are affected. The damage can be permanent, and many times, painful. It can led to infection. And ultimately, an ignored cavity can lead to the loss of your tooth.

There are loads of reasons why cavities develop. Most commonly, it’s lack of dental hygiene. But bacteria in your mouth, trauma to your teeth, and sipping sugary drinks also contribute to the frequency and severity of cavities. Cavities are common; more than 90% of American adults have them! And over a quarter of the population has some form of untreated tooth decay. That’s a lot of people.

You might be wondering by now if this has become a PSA for oral health. Nope! As you’ve probably guessed, this hole in the counter top actually made me think about my spiritual life. (You can’t clean holes, you have to fill them.) And the more I read about cavities, the more I see how that reflects different parts of my spiritual life too.

You see, my heart, that part of my being that is so easily influenced and swayed, is like a tooth. It is prone to getting ‘bacteria’ caught up in it. This bacteria comes mostly from choices I have made- from the ‘diet’ I have chosen for myself. And if I’m not regularly cleaning out that bacteria from my heart, it starts to make holes in what was so recently healthy tissue. The longer I expose my heart to things that are not in alignment with the Word of God, the more I listen to voices that don’t support truth, the longer I expose myself to lyrics that sing wrong things, the more I watch shows that promote sinful behaviors…the more bacteria I let build up on my heart. And if I’m not regularly cleaning out that bacteria, cavities develop. The longer it sits untreated, the deeper the damage. At some point I will lose my heart completely to the bacteria.

And it doesn’t matter that so much of the population has the same problem. That may be comforting at first, but it doesn’t help my issue improve. It doesn’t get rid of any bacteria. It doesn’t fill a cavity. If anything, it can make me complacent, which is SO not helpful.

One way to keep these sorts of ‘cavities’ away, is to limit my exposure to the things that cause bacteria to form in the first place. I need to be careful about what I’m putting in my ‘diet’. I need to ‘brush’ and ‘floss’ regularly so that my mind is renewed, and my heart won’t be pitted with holes. I need to visit the dentist (God) regularly for cleanings, and I need to fill in these holes with truth from th Word. I need to take care and be proactive so I can be in the best possible shape spiritually.

It’s not an easy process. Cavities many times cause pain. And taking care of the problem can be painful too. There is often drilling involved. Sometimes that drilling means saying goodbye to certain people. Or making hard decisions about where I go. Or giving up shows or movies I like to watch. Or music I like to listen to. But taking the best care of my spiritual health is certainly worth changing my ‘diet’.

Lord help me recognize the harmful bacteria in my life, and clean it up, then eliminate it’s exposure to my heart. I don’t want to lose my heart to cavities that could be prevented!

Psalm 101:2-4 (2) I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.
(3) I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.
(4) A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person.

Psalm 139:23-24(23) Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
(24) And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 19:7-14
(7) The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
(8) The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
(9) The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
(10) More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
(11) Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.
(12) Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.
(13) Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
(14) Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.