Yellow as snow?

Ever since I moved to California, I've had to make some lifestyle changes. Not going out as much, dressing appropriately to weather differences, and saving more money. One notable area is that I do not regularly go the dentist.

Now before you all freak out about how nasty my teeth must be like, fear not. I have always prided myself on my dental hygiene. As a matter of fact, I've never had a cavity nor needed braces in my entire life! I brush and floss religiously (in a good way). After all, I always believed that maintaining the positivity of your smile is like taking care of your reputation.

Back on point, as I was done whitening my teeth with some strips, I decided to actual brush my teeth last night in front of the mirror. I prefer to multi-task, and so I usually make my bed or check my email as I brush my teeth to conserve time and energy as I prepare for bed. Well, the sight wasn't that pretty. When I opened my mouth, all I could see is the yellow in my teeth! Man, I mean it looked like there were small chunks of raw butter on top of my teeth. I became extremely self conscious because, again, I thought of my teeth to have a disarmingly healthy shade of white. I was wrong.

Why am I blogging about this phenomenon? I felt super convicted that many of us Christians today pride ourselves in how well we compare our "teeth" in relation to our appearance. Mainly, we feel as if our teeth is white enough to go out. But when it comes to the truth and we do our daily washing, we fail to realize how inadequately dirty we truly are.

Now I am not trying to demoralize the genuine efforts of Christians who attempt to change and purify themselves, but what totally convicted me was my next thought: Why do we even brush our teeth? (For some, this question doesn't even pop in their mind as they don't adapt this habit into their daily routine!). The simple answer is to keep our teeth healthy. If that's the case, why am I so worked up about how "white" my teeth appear?

And that's the grandiose question: if ultimately what matters is our spiritual health of our relationship with God, why do we care so much about appearing so holy and righteous in front of others? Why do we bother putting up so many rituals to look composed and gathered?

It's because the fear of man has seized the church everywhere today. Not dressing formally (i.e. wearing hats, sandals, etc.), tattoos, piercings in odd places--the list is endless on how we judge others. There is also spiritual judging such as the religious scrutiny of others' church attendance or discipline.

Let us set aside these "whitening" practices and focus on what truly keeps our spiritual "teeth" healthy: the Word of God (Hebrews 4:12), active prayer (1 Thess 5:17), fiery evangelism (Matthew 28:18-20), and a passionate love for God (Psalm 27:4).