Preventative care. That’s what my dentist calls these every six month visits. They clean my teeth. Sometimes they take x-rays to look for problems. They remind me to floss. Then I write a check. I am always tempted to skip these visits. It is not like I refuse to go to the dentist. If I get a toothache, or have a problem, I would be there as soon as I could. He reminds me that if I keep doing preventative care, I won’t have to come see him because something is wrong. Take care of things now and avoid the major work later.

It makes sense and the smart thing to do is to follow his advice. In fact, you would think I don’t value my teeth if I neglected them until I had a problem. So why not apply that same principle to our relationship with God? Why neglect the everyday care of that relationship, but quickly ask God for help when life gets difficult. Maybe regular attention to what God says would prevent major problems in my life. And if I talked to God on a daily basis I would be more equipped to face life’s problems.

I wonder how God feels when I neglect to regularly put attention on my relationship with Him. God does not desire our relationship with Him to only be about crisis management. He wants us in a relationship that includes regular care and maintenance. He is certainly capable of handling the crisis in my life. He has proved that. But that is not the extent of our connection.

I like my teeth so I will keep up my daily brushing and flossing. I will continue my regular dental check-ups. I’ll be healthier and happier for it. And I am going to give daily attention to my relationship with God. I’ll be healthier and happier for it … both now and forever.

If you want to know more about being in a relationship with God, write me at steve@hopeforlife.org. Or join the blog discussion at www.hopeforlife.org.

Is God more important to you than your teeth?

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