Two things that I have been doing more of lately. I have never been a great flosser. My dental hygienist is always letting me know that my gums bleeding when she cleans them is a result of not habitually flossing. I apologize for the metal image, and I do understand that there is truth in what she is saying. A friend of mine humorously stated it this way, "Of course my gums are bleeding, you are poking them with sharp objects!" I have never been ashamed of my smile. I went through the braces faze of my life, thank you Mom and Dad. But I do notice the much more pearly white, healthy mouths of some of my friends, and so I have decided to floss more religiously. It is not that I have never flossed before, but sporadic would be more accurate as opposed to twice daily. In two days I have noticed phenomenal improvement; nough to ask those around me, "do you notice anything different?" unfortunately, no correct answers yet. : )
What on earth does this have to do with reading my Bible? Well you could also describe my reading scripture as sporadic and not twice daily. But fortunately I gained new fervor for my reading habits along with my frequent flossing miles. I have always had an appreciation for how the Bible always has new application for my life. It is neat to see the work of the Holy Spirit in that way. I also appreciate the years of AWANA that provided a strong foundation of memorized scripture. But habitual Bible reading has also shown to bring more joy to my life. I would bet that some of you may be thinking, "you are a theology major, shouldn't you be more of a Bible scholar than the average Christian." I was given many assignments in college that required critical analysis of scripture, but most of you college grads would agree that the amount of retained information from year one to year four has an tendency to blend together by graduation.
Furthermore, the Bible should always be a progressive and repetitive habit, never a quick read through. Silly. Again, I frequently enjoy the new revelation, interpretation and application of scripture given by the Holy Spirit.
All this to say that I am pleased with the results of both my renewed zeal for dental care and reading of scripture. A meticulously clean, merry mouth and a daily devotion to the Divine Word is sure to bring more smiles and joy to your Christmas season.
