Levi got his braces off last week, which is splendid. He could have gotten them off before the middle school musical, but he was afraid that the change would mess up his singing! He came home today with retainers on his teeth (you can FB friend him for pics). He might have been right about having his speech messed up. I think Annabelle was giving him pointers on pronunciation! While I envision/fear many trips to the school garbage dumpsters looking for the vanishing retainers (who’s been there?) I got to thinking about the purpose of retainers today.
Levi did the hard work of suffering through braces. Some gifted doctors did some difficult and painful work to get his teeth to line up correctly. He learned to discipline himself by not eating certain things that he wanted. Now that his mouth has been brought to the place it ought to be, he’s been given retainers to hold his teeth in that alignment. He’s been warned by so many people already: wear the retainers, or your teeth will get all wacky on you and you’ll be back in braces.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have retainers in other areas of life? Who wouldn’t benefit from having a daily alignment of the things that have been fixed, put right by some skillful fixers?
I know that there are times that I get it right. There are days–even seasons–where I’m dialed in, focused on the right things, connecting with God, and living well. But there are other times when I find myself reverting to that precious state, that place where I’m in need of an adjustment. If left unattended, my life tends to drift away from following Jesus. Why is that?
Here are a few things that I’ve found to help me retain the course that I want my life to take:
- friends–they’ll make you or break you. By choosing the right kind of people to hang around, I’m influenced, encouraged, and reminded of who I want to be. We all need community.
- the Bible–there are lots of ways to connect with God, but there is no substitute for spending time reading his word. He reveals his character, his promises, and his heart in the pages of his word.
- prayer–connecting with God daily, talking to him about what’s going on in my life, listening to him speak to me…vital.
- church–gathering with other Jesus people to worship, pray, serve, and study God’s word together.
- Holy Spirit–Jesus said that it was better for his followers for him to leave this earth, because he would send his Spirit to be with us. He called his Spirit the Helper, and that’s what I’m looking for–help!
There are other areas that come to mind this morning: relationships, parenting, work, exercise, friends…some days it’s all moving in the right direction. Other times I know that I need something to help me get back on track.
I’m sure that you have a few ideas of things that help you hold your course, retainers that work for you. Why don’t you leave a comment and share your thoughts?
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