My dentist has changed their routine lately. The first thing my dental hygienist now does is take my blood pressure. This is something new for me. Until my last couple of visits, I have never had a dentist office take my blood pressure before. Maybe they are trying to gauge how far the blood will spurt when they prick my gums!
My blood pressure was a little high this time. Just like it was last time. And just like it was the time before that. I do watch my blood pressure because Dad has high blood pressure and has since he was in his early thirties. So I take my blood pressure fairly regularly at the machines around the Mayo campus. It is always just a little bit higher than normal, but not enough to worry about. Except when I am at the dentist.
My dental hygienist acknowledged my blood pressure was a little high. I told her I expected that because I hate going to the dentist! "Nothing personal," I told her, "I hate all dentists!"
I don't know of anything else that I do regularly that intentionally causes discomfort, pain, and anxiety. I tend to avoid things that do that to me! And yet, multiple times a year I find myself walking back into the dentist office for another round of pain, discomfort, and anxiety.
Why would I do this thing that I hate so much? Because I know that it is good for me in the long run. My family has a long history of bad teeth. It is a curse of my family. I hope my sons inherited their teeth genes from my wife instead of me! I am pretty sure that I will need false teeth someday, since that accessory has run in my family (both sides) for generations. But by going to the dentist now, I can delay that inevitability as long as possible.
The same can be said for our spiritual life. If we neglect our spiritual needs (and everybody has them), we will not be prepared for the inevitable difficulties that life presents to us. When the storms come, we will either stand up against them, or our destruction will be great. The Bible compares our lives to a house (Luke 6:48-49). We can lay our foundation on the rock (Jesus) which cannot be shaken. Or we can lay our foundation in sand (worldly desires) which will easily shift when the river rises.
Let's build the foundation of our life on Jesus! Devote a portion of every day to a quiet time alone with Him. Read your Bible during that time. Pray during that time. Read a devotional during that time. Reflect on what the day may bring and pray for wisdom and strength in every circumstance that comes up. Put on the "armor of God" (Eph. 6:10-18). When we invest that time, we are laying a firm foundation that cannot be destroyed no matter what life throws our way! "Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve...as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15)"
