A popular thing many people do is home restoration and I enjoy watching those home reno shows. I, however, do mouth restoration, which I do NOT enjoy.
Good teeth do not run in my family. Ever since I was a child, I was frequently at the dentist.
My mother would lug me onto the city bus to my first dentist when I was around age 7. Most women didn’t drive back then and most people certainly didn’t have two cars. The office was above a well-known ice cream parlor, so I would get a delicious treat there afterwards–the only good thing about the excursion.
But the office itself was creepy and dingy—very old-fashioned. I remember a hard non-reclining black chair produced without any type of comfort in mind. There was no novocaine! Ouch! Not to mention the spittoon. A horrible germ infested swirl of water for spitting out the crud in your mouth. I had to use those spittoons most of my life. And miraculously, I have survived!
Before too long my first dentist was killed in a car accident. After that we tried about every other dentist within walking distance from our home, many of questionable skill. The stories I could tell!!
My mother would complain they drilled too deep for the fillings (which they probably did as now I have very few natural teeth left.) I got my first crown in college, which sadly, that tooth is now long gone along with a few others.
I recently heard dentists are taught, “DRILL, FILL AND BILL”. Seemed about right to me.
Thankfully, modern dentistry is a far cry from years gone by. There is pain relief, more comfortable reclining chairs, computer-driven modern technology and X-rays. Some places have TVs and toys and books for children. I can listen to my music while the work is being done. You might even get a microwave-warmed neck pillow.
To my dismay, I am finding myself in need of a LOT more future dental work, therefore I have been musing a lot about restoration.
My recent surgical extraction, was psychologically traumatizing because I didn’t see it coming and I now have a gaping hole in my mouth forced to figure out what to do about it, if anything.
Essentially, a part of my body, even though small, is now GONE. Forever. Yanked out. I couldn’t control the tears rolling down my face while I was being stitched up. I thought of the Bible verse: And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. (Matt. 18:9) I think it really should refer to teeth.
Just as in my mouth, God plucks out and removes the bad and rotten things in our lives. He removes what is broken and heals and cleanses us restoring us through our life situations. Unlike at the dentist, we don’t always get pain relief during this process. Often we must suffer through God’s restoration process.
Besides repairing what is broken, the point of restoration is typically to improve something. God is the Great Restorer. The Master Builder. The ultimate fixer-upper handyman, of bodies and souls.
The restoration process is not fun. It’s not pretty. It’s sometimes downright bloody. Things are taken out, destroyed and changed to make room for the new, and hopefully improved, version of ourselves.
We become a new person in Christ, like gold tested in fire. (1 Peter 1:7) We are a work in progress and being purified to become ever more beautiful than before.
I don’t know what level of function my ongoing mouth restoration will provide but hopefully at some point it will be better than it was before. This is where patience comes in, of which I have none.
I also care more about functionality than looks. That my teeth work, I’m out of pain, and that I can eat normally. And maybe, after the restoration, I will still have some teeth left to smile with!
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder anyway. Someone could spend mega-dollars remodeling their house while another person could think it is the ugliest thing they ever saw.
Maybe that is how God is with us, we don’t have to look pretty, he sees beyond outward appearances to our heart and who we really are, who He made us to be. He sees our purpose and functionality for His Kingdom. He restores our soul for His honor and glory.
Restoration of any kind also involves high cost.
That is why many of us do not remodel our homes, or at least not all at once. My mouth is going to cost FAR too much with unknown return on my investment. My finances will probably limit how much restoration I can actually accomplish.
Likewise, when God restores us, there is also a cost. We must die to ourselves and our plans and seek His will. We must suffer. But unlike us, God is not limited in what He can accomplish.
The God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory through Christ Jesus will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you after you have suffered a little. (1 Peter 5:10)
As with any restoration project, you need the right people for the right jobs. Jesus is the right one for the task of our restoration—physically, mentally and most importantly, spiritually.
We need to be restored to a right relationship with Christ by turning from our sin and darkness, seeking forgiveness and trusting in him for our restoration.
So as my mouth is being restored (hopefully) I can be assured that I am also simultaneously being spiritually restored by the Great Restorer.
We can look forward to one day being fully restored for all eternity. And it will be even better than anything we could ever have imagined.
The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I lack. In green pastures he makes me lie down; to still waters he leads me; he restores my soul. (Psalm 23:1-3)
