When my son was nine years old, needing me less, I starting missing the days when he was a toddler — our stroller rides to the park, building with blocks, singing Raffi songs, cuddling on the couch, reading books, baking, doing art projects, giggling, and writing stories together. Craving those early years, I took a part time job at a small Montessori preschool a few mornings a week just to be with little children again.
I formed a bond with Ivan, a 4-year old at the pre-school who dressed like a little man. Hair trimmed short and combed back with gel, wearing a freshly starched shirt, clean ironed shorts, and bright white socks with clean sneakers, he was the one with ants in his pants during phonetic lessons. The teacher always instructed, Ivan, you know the rules, “criss cross apple sauce.”
He’d scream back, “I know, I know, I KNOW!”
During story time, he’d jump up again, telling his version of the daily story. He had elaborate stories. With gentle instruction the teacher would say, “Ivan, maybe tomorrow you can tell your story, but for now, we need to sit quietly, shhhh, and listen.” He’d sit down saying, “Oh no, oh boy, oh boy”.
One day as I supervised the children on the playground, he ran over to me complaining about a little boy who took his soccer ball. As he looked up at me terrified, he screamed out, ‘ahhhh, your teeth are falling out!‘
From his perspective, my jumbled teeth looked like sharp rocks falling from cliffs.
After my son got braces, he said, “mom, now it’s your turn”. I found a dentist who specialized in six month braces for adults, and at 56-years old, I started the grueling process of getting braces for my crooked teeth. (Since they were so crooked they took 9 months to straighten).
As I brushed my straight teeth the other night, amazed by perfectly lined up front teeth, I tried to recall my once crooked teeth that slowly shifted for over a half a century so one front tooth, slightly bucked, twisted sideways so it pushed the other backward. I also thought about how living a holy life with God straightens lives.
There’s sure a lot of people in the world in need of being straightened out – the amount of lying, stealing, lust, drugs, teen pregnancy, promiscuity, gambling, selfishness, adultery, domestic violence, pornography, rage, cheating, slander, anger and unforgiveness that plague our world is astonishing.
Some of us who think we’re holier than thou, forget we’re in a daily battle with more subtle, troubling issues such as jealousy, pride, coveting, worry, anxiety and ungratefulness that burden our relationships, leaving us depressed and yearning.
The fact is all problematic issues, although varying in degrees, separate us from the love and peace of God.
In Greek, the meaning of ‘sin’, ‘hamartía’ is missing the mark. In terms of our spiritual lives, one way of looking at sin is considering sinfulness as aiming our lives in directions off the mark from the love and peace we find in God.
The fact is most of us needs braces for our lives. I think this is one reason Jesus tells us not to judge others because we all need saving ( salvo – healing), we all have planks in our own eyes.
Don’t you love how Jesus tells it like it is:
How can you think of saying, ‘Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.” – Matthew 7:3
In one of the gospels we learn about a woman caught in the act of adultery. In trying to trap Jesus, the religious leaders ask, “The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” As they keep demanding an answer, Jesus responds, “Let those who have never sinned throw the first stones!” Jesus challenges these prideful leaders to expose their own sinfulness behind religious facades.
He then tells the prostitute, “go and sin no more”. In other words, “go, and don’t keep doing things that will separate you from God – return to who you really are, a child of God, you don’t need to give your body away.”
In his early ministry Jesus cried out, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” “Repent” in Greek, metanoe, means to change one’s mind. In part, Jesus came to help people to change their minds and hearts from waywardness, leading them to saving grace of God’s love.
I spoke with a woman the other night who dreams of living in Marin County just over the Golden Gate Bridge. Years back, we lived in Mill Valley, a quaint, suburb of San Francisco, in Marin County that’s tucked away at the base of beautiful Mt. Tamalpais.
We had lived in Mill Valley until new money from the high tech boom brought with it a disturbing amount of greed, rising prices of real estate, and upwardly mobile young people striving to keep up with the Jones’. The consequences of this boom hit home for me one day when a friend invited me to lunch with her neighbor, a young, attractive soon-to-be-psychologist who lived across the street in a large tutor style home surrounded by a beautiful stone wall, encompassing a flourishing English garden. She had two little boys under the age of two, and a successful, kind husband.
As the conversation turned to an affair she was having with her psychology professor, I felt my heart falling to my toes. The ugly greed I sensed creeping in to our lovely town had taken root in my sphere. I later learned my best friend’s husband was having an affair.
Surely, I thought these young mothers had everything anyone could ever imagine. Although I didn’t have God in my life back then, I knew the affairs would surely have a troubling, hurtful impact on their families and on their own lives.
I think of my own iniquities before God arrived in my life – seeking love in all the wrong places, dark, lonely, reckless adolescent years running from a troubled home, from my family, once a praying family, of an endless string of bad choices year after year. For a long time I walked a crooked, lonely path leading into dense dark forest with no light.
If not for the hound of heaven following on my heals, plucking me by my shirt collar, turning me back to God’s promises, I’d be in a land of misery, a sort of hell.
But rather, being given the gift of a new life, God makes my paths straight, leading me besides stiller waters. My journey with God is one of constant returning, of pruning godless habits, and that’s everyday. It’s a journey into everyday holiness.
“For you have delivered my soul from death, Indeed my feet from stumbling, so that I may walk before God In the light of the living”. Psalm 56:13
“For with you is the fountain of life; In your light we see light.” Psalm 36:9
“Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10 )
We love your comments!
P.S. A special thanks to little Ivan. I’m enjoying the wonder of my straight teeth.
PSS: Thank you dear Tanya at Williamstand blog for nominating me for the Liebester awards today! Liebster is a German word meaning “sweetest, nicest, kindest, dearest, beloved, etc.” The Liebster Award is given to promote love, encouragement, and recognition for new blogs.
Sharing today at #SmallWonder linkup and these lovely groups:
Like the orthodontist with braces, so is God with us – he straightens us gently! What a beautiful perspective!
Thank you for your comment and visiting! I like the perspective of how God straightens us gently!
I loved reading your post. I journey everyday as well, constantly pruning and learning about the Lord and what it means to live for Him. I live an hour away from San Francisco and know exactly what you mean when you described it, so I enjoyed those details. Linking up from #RaRaCheerleadersofFaith
Thank you for your encouragement Valerie! I love how you know the Bay Area and Marin, it’s always fun to share that lovely area with someone who knows it well! I’m so glad you are constantly pruning and learning and drawing close to God. What a blessing to have you visit today!
What a great reminder of the need for God to straighten out our lives on a continual basis! I love the visual of those braces!
I came over on RaRa today, and I’m glad to find your post.
Hope you have a blessed day~
Melanie
So glad you visited today, Melanie! With daily temptations to stray into worldly ways, anxieties, worries, I see why we need to be like little children in following God! Have a lovely day!
I love this metaphor about our lives needing straightening! The development of the post pulled me along to the point I think you wanted us all to see! Thanks!!
Blessings and grace,
Pam
So glad you visited, Pam, and that the post pulled you along to get the point of how blessed we are to have God as our guide directing us in the way we should go! Blessings!
Kathy, as a former preschool teacher, I can attest children hold nothing back with their words or their sweet hearts. I would have love to only have worn my braces for nine months. I wore those things for three years (9th – 11th grade) and still wear my retainer every night.
My retainer keeps my teeth straight. In the same way, time in God’s Word and in His presence (prayer) keep my life straight. I never thought of that before. Thank you, friend, for sharing your heart at #IntentionalTuesday. : )
thank you for your comment, Crystal and your visit! How blessed we are that prayer and God’s presence keeps us moving the narrow way! I so much enjoy the community at #IntentionalTuesdays! I can’t imagine wearing braces for 3 years!
Thanks Kathy. This post prompts deep reflection. The statement, “My journey with God is one of constant returning, of pruning godless habits…” definitely strikes a chord. Well said. I’m glad to connect through the #RaRaLinkup!
thanks for visiting Joy! I sometimes forget that those godless habits sneak back into my life, and what a blessing to be able to keep returning again and again! PS I like your website!
I’m oh so thankful for our God who makes crooked paths straight and makes all things beautiful! Great post, my friend!
Always lovely to hear from you Karrilee! I’ll come by and visit again for inspiration and to say hi!
Beautiful analogy and one I can relate to since I had braces when I was younger. Yes my life needs to be straightened out and it is my job to let God take care of it. He is the Master Orthodontist and we need to let him do the work that is needed.
As aside, I love your story about Ivan and what he said about your teeth. I taught kids for years and the things they would say to me never ceased to make me smile, giggle or laugh out loud. Blessings!
I love that Mary, God is the Master Orthodontist! Isn’t Ivan adorable! I agree.. I just love those little children who have no filter on what they say! Little truth tellers! Love having you visit!
and there are days when i feel like I am a good girl, I was reminded, that we all fall short of God’s expectations and we must continue to allow ourselves to be straightened by God’s will for us. I pray success for the journey we are both on. enjoy your blog, I have nominated you at http://williamstand.blogspot.com/2015/11/liebester-award.html. Be blessed
Tanya, it’s a blessing to read your comment and I so appreciate sharing in this journey! Thank you so much for the nomination! What a blessing!
Sending you warm thoughts and eager to continue sharing and encouraging one another!!
Dearest Tanya! You are reminding me about the Liebster award..this family illness has been going on for such a long time, I
got so overwhelmed by any simple task! I will try to get to it next week! Thank you for your patience!
Fantastic analogy and points here! Are you familiar with the quote about determining what’s straight using a straight stick vs a crooked one? Similar thought! Thank you for this lesson!
I love that idea..determine what’s straight by using a straight or crooked one! So thankful you visited and for your encouragement!
OH so much of this hits home for me, Kathy. SO much. I traveled many crooked lines in my lifetime, both as a non-believer AND a believer. I read your words and such truth you share, and I am filled with so much awareness and perspective that just illuminates my heart and my own faith journey. There are so many lives in need of straightening, and I see so many people going toward more broken paths over and over again.
I am convicted to cling to Him to keep my own path straight. And I pray for those who are struggling to see and know the One who truly can lead them and transform their lives in fulfillment, abundant blessings and peace.
I am always so blessed by you Chris! Not only your ongoing encouragement, but I just love your honesty and your intention to dig deep into your life, unafraid to look at your both your flaws and strengths — passionate about becoming a more faithful, enriched, serving, compassionate woman (which you already are in so many ways!) As we take the logs out of our own eyes, I truly believe we can help others do the same–as you say, there are so many people going toward more broken paths. It’s so sad, so much pain. May we stay in the light so we can be lights for others! Have a blessed day!!
I’m thankful He’s gentle in the straightening! Great post. I appreciate your insights and the truth you shared, pointing us in the right direction. Keep writing and sharing. Your words are making a difference!
Thanks so much Julie for your wonderful encouragement!
I love the name of your blog! I found out about you through Tanya at Williamstand. I can relate to much of what you shared in this post. As I go with God, the more I realize how much I need to be straightened out. Just when I think I am good, He shines the light on another area of my life that is crooked. I am learning to embrace the straightening process, realizing in the end I will look more like Him. Blessings to you!
So beautifully said Anika! I think having the light of God in our lives means nothing can be hidden, and those places within us that need healing show up so much more as we walk the path with God. The beautiful thing is what you say, we can embrace the straightening process which means we become more Christ like! You said it with such clarity and conviction! I’m so very glad you came by!