No More Brace Face

Today was an exciting day in the Fletcher household. After 2 ¼ years, Tim got his braces off. His teeth are now straight, which makes his mama happy, and he can now eat apples, sticky foods, popcorn, and even gum, which makes him happy. It was a long and often painful process, not to mention expensive, but in the end, it was all worth it to see that perfect smile.

Having braces is no fun. I hated them when I had them just as much as Tim hated his. They are uncomfortable at best, and painful at worst. Just when they stop hurting, you have to get them adjusted, which results in raw sore lips and mouth and aching teeth and jaws. You are constantly aware of them, of the things you are forbidden to eat because of them, and of the siren call of those forbidden foods trying to lure you in to sneak that which you should not have. You are conscious of them when having your picture made, when you smile at people, and when you speak. As I said, they are no fun.

I find the braces to be an interesting analogy of our walk with the Lord and to His corrections. We want to be like Jesus, perfect, sinless, spotless, but we are crooked, sinful, and broken. The only way to reach a more perfect state is though His correcting us, but we don't look forward to it. Oh, we want the end result. We want to look in the mirror and be proud of what we see. But the process for getting there? It's often no fun. We have to see our broken, sinful, crooked life and make changes in order to reach a more Christ-like existence. But it's not easy. Those changes can hurt. They can be frustrating and hard and take a long time. They can make us conscious of our failures, and that is unpleasant to face. They can leave us raw, and sore, and aching. They can make us feel the siren call of the forbidden fruits we are trying to avoid. Yes, those changes can be painful and difficult. But we can not grow without them. And just like with braces, when you finally stop the aching as you reach one goal, it's time to make another change, to make another adjustment, starting the process over again. We don't quit just because we accomplished one improvement.

One thing we noticed with the braces was that the adjustments at the beginning were much more painful than those toward the end. This is because the changes that needed to be made at the beginning were greater than those at the end. The same is true with our walk with Christ. In the beginning, we have great need for enormous change. But as we become more and more like Him, our short-comings tend to be smaller. If we are continuing to strive to be like Him, then we catch new issues before they become big issues, so they are dealt with quicker and easier. And we trust the process more, and fight it less.

Finally, Tim was less than pleased to learn he would have to wear retainers to help keep his teeth from migrating. After all that time, money, pain, and trouble, we certainly don't want that work to be in vain. Our walk with Christ is the same. We must do something to keep us from falling back into our old ways. What do we use as retainers? Prayer. Bible reading. Worship. Church. Spiritual mentors. More prayer.

Over the next days and weeks, Tim will get used to not having the braces. He will be able to enjoy eating some of his favorite foods with greater ease. He will get used to a nice smile reflecting back from the mirror. He will enjoy the ease of brushing his teeth without navigating miles of metal. And he will be tempted to become complacent with his routines. He will not want to wear the retainers, because they are irritating and inconvenient and unpleasant. And the danger is that the teeth will begin to ease back into their old positions. The movement is so slow, glacial really, that he won't notice until one day when he tries to put his retainer in and it won't fit. In the same way, when we overcome a weakness, a sin area, we are tempted to bask in our accomplishment and become complacent. And we don't notice the sin creeping back in until one day, we are shocked when we find ourselves doing that thing we thought we'd never do again.

Braces are a blessing. They correct problems, improve our smiles and our lives, and prevent further deterioration. They are not pleasant while you have them, but the results are worth the effort. God's corrections are a blessing. They correct problems, improve our lives, and prevent further distance from Him. They also are not pleasant while they are happening, but the results are well worth the discomfort. Thank God for His work in our lives.