X-Ray Vision

Thursday afternoon, I finally went to get my teeth cleaned and after 27 years, it has finally happened…I have my first cavity. I was quite upset upon realizing that my lifelong dream of making it my entire life without having a cavity had come to an end. I didn’t really have a lifelong dream to remain cavity free but I am not going to lie, I was slightly upset upon learning I have my first cavity. I shouldn’t be upset because one, it is just a cavity not a terminal illness and two; I don’t have obsessive oral hygiene skills. (I actually learned that I have been flossing wrong my entire life…the floss goes around your middle finger) Perhaps my slight distraught state of mind about my cavity was made worse by my dental hygienists (who also happens to be the only mom I’ve ever known) exaggerated comments about the severity of my cavity. Throughout my appointment (I still think she scrapped off part of my lower front tooth) we laughed at my repeated comments about my concern for a cavity and we laughed at her repeated comments about my life being over now that my mouth was plagued with a cavity. After my exam, I wanted to see my cavity so she showed me the x-rays of my teeth. And there is was on my top left molar; a giant black hole slowly taking over my once perfect tooth.

As you may have guessed, I had a few question about my cavity and I was surprised to learn that my cavity wouldn’t have been visible without the x-ray films of my teeth because it hadn’t come through the surface of my tooth yet. (Good thing I had a skilled dental hygienists) One little two second x-ray saved me many months of toothaches. God works very similar to an x-ray machine friends. He examines our hearts and our minds and He discovers our aches and pains before they break through the surface. He takes the pictures of our broken souls and he studies them. He commits our pains to His memory. He finds a way to work around our weaknesses and our disobedience. He discovers truths about us that we don’t even know about ourselves. And when He has everything he needs to restore our hearts and minds back to wholeness; He sends in His troops to minister to us until we turn ourselves over to Him and allow Him to fill in the gaps in our lives. Sometimes part of God’s refining purpose that is necessary to fill in the images He sees when He uses His x-ray vision causes great hurt and great sacrifice. We often get caught up in the pain involved opposed to the refining involved. We don’t allow ourselves to accept the fact or believe that God can see what we can’t and as a result we give up our worship to Him. I didn’t second guess my dental hygienist (I only second guess her on hair straightners) or my dentist when they said I had a cavity despite lacking any signs or symptoms of a cavity; I trusted their x-ray visions. And I trust God’s x-ray vision more. I trust Him so much that I place all of my pains, my trials, my disappointments, and my heartaches at His feet and worship Him. I may not see what He sees at times but I confidently stand in His presence and ask Him to use every hard thing in my life to display His glory. I surrender myself to Him and allow Him to use every situation in my life as a platform to reveal another aspect of Himself. Do you trust God’s x-ray vision in your own life? Do you set aside your pain in order for God to refine your heart and your mind? Or do you wait until you feel the symptoms of you ailing life? God vision is better than anything we can imagine for ourselves friends. He loves us so much that He uses everything He sees inside of us with His x-ray vision to heal hurts we don’t even know exist and to permanently patch up the holes in our lives.

When I get my cavity filled, I won’t see the remnants of the cavity (what did people do before white filings were available); I’ll see my healthy teeth. (and my million dollar smile) And when God fills in the gaps of my life, I won’t see my pain; I’ll see the beauty of the refiner’s x-ray vision.

Verse to remember. Malachi 3:2-3 2 But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.