Are you one of the lucky ones that has had braces? Or maybe you currently have braces like me. Yup, braces as an adult. It’s funny how kids respond to them. “Oh, you have braces?”
I think instead they want to say, “You’re old. Why do you have braces?”
Why braces? Because something needs to be fixed.
Was that too simple? Okay, some reasons then: overbite, underbite, open bite, spacing, crowding, and sometimes a speech impediment. It doesn’t really matter the reason – just that something needs to be changed.
Why do we need Jesus? Because we are broken and Jesus can fix us. He can save us from our sins. It doesn’t matter what needs to be adjusted, fixed or changed, or even how much, or little, we all need him, we all need saving.
One cycle that’s consistent for me with braces: pain, relief, pain, relief – and so on. Plus, some fun rubber band colors. I do notice changes and improvements in my teeth. So the pain cycle is worth it because I can see the changes. Even seeing these changes, I still need to trust the process. I don’t truly know how my teeth will look at the end, so I try to stay patient.
There is also a cycle of pain and relief and even fun in our journey with Jesus. As we lean in and allow God to mold us, adjust us and work in our lives, we will see changes. Some quick and obvious changes, others slow and unnoticeable until a big “aha” moment. Here, too, we trust God’s plans for us without truly knowing the result or even the next step.
Scripture tells us to be patient. The theme of Psalm 40 is that doing God’s will sometimes means waiting patiently. And while we wait, we can love God, serve others, and tell others about him.
Soon I get my braces off and still … there will be maintenance. Wearing a retainer for the rest of the time I have teeth. So even with all this work and patience, I still need assistance to keep my teeth straight.
Interesting how this too is like living for Jesus. When we commit our lives to him, it’s not a one and done. It’s not even 18 months and done. It’s a lifelong journey of maintaining, cleaning, one more month, one more day, one more hour. But we keep focus on the big reveal at the end.
This reminds me of a verse in Proverbs: “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17 NIV.
We encourage each other and even challenge each other to live our lives according to Jesus’ example. We work together to stay on the straight but narrow path. I think sometimes we forget that we need relationships with people who will not only cheer us on, but also question and challenge us. We can disciple each other and deepen our relationship with God in the process.
I think we can conclude that braces are a lot like our journey following Jesus.