Too Sterile To Clean
Is there such a thing? I honestly don't know, scientifically, if there is a possibility that something could be too sterile to clean.
Sterile, overall, is a good thing. Just hearing the word makes you feel good. At the dentist's office, we have two whole rooms dedicated solely to the process of sterilization. The least sterile thing we let into our environment are the patients themselves. Some of them are just downright dirty. They smell like they've smoked a full pack on the way to the office. Some of them have colds. Others have just eaten and not bothered to brush. It makes me glad I work in the office and not in their mouths.
There are those who try, of course, to make a good impression. They'll ask for a toothpaste, toothbrush and floss when they sign in for their appointment. They're my favorite. I'm one of them. It has always been a ritual for me, before going to the dentist, to brush, floss and rinse with Listerine. In fact, I would say that the interview for this job was a first for me - the first time I have ever flossed immediately before going for an interview.
But you can't really trick a professional. I used to floss maybe two times in six months and then floss everyday for a week before my dental appointment and think I could get away with telling them, "yes, I've been flossing." There would be this pause and then a "hmmm...really." Then we'd go over the basics and importance of flossing.
If we could sufficiently clean our teeth on our own, there would be no point in going to the dentist. Don't get me wrong. It doesn't hurt to try to clean your teeth. We appreciate that. We just expect you to come with some calculus and stains.
I went to a church last Sunday where it felt like I should have flossed with my Bible before I walked through the doors of the santuary. It was that sterile! I felt completely out of place. I doubt a one-month hiatus from church could set me back that far, right? I was beginning to have some second thoughts. What has happened to me? Who have I become?
The music was too rehearsed. The people were too perfect. The sermon was too scriptural (I think we read through the whole Bible in thirty minutes - look for the book release in July).
I used to love a well-rehearsed praise band with the latest praise music. Heck, I used to sing with one.
I used to think it was great that everyone looked perfect on stage. Smiling the entire time they sang, speaking without error.
I have always thought that a sermon should be based on scripture.
But here I was, really for the first time in twenty-three years of church-going, feeling like my faith was too dirty to be accepted in such a sterile environment.
I guess my faith has been shaken over the past several years. And I can credit that partially to a husband that has turned my view of Christianity completely upside down. And to a small institute in Colorado that gave me new perspective. And to life's winding road that keeps moving me to new places.
I've come to think that the straight and narrow isn't so, well...straight and narrow. That maybe we've made it so narrow that hardly anyone can fit down it anymore.
It's uncomfortable to be shaken. Things don't fit exactly where they used to. The lines aren't in the same places. As I sat in church last Sunday, I thought of the words of Rich Mullins. He once said something about it being okay for your faith to be shaken. Could be that it's shaking you forward and shaking you free.
People with really horrid teeth will tell you so on the phone when they're making their appointment. They've had a bad experience in the past. Many have been yelled at for not taking care of their teeth. They don't want to be given another lecture. They know they've got black spots from neglect. They know they need help. I tell them not to worry about it, that our dentists are very gentle and understanding. Not to be discouraged. We've seen a lot worse.
The environment is sterile, but it has to be infected in order to make a difference. After all, what would a practice be without the patients? What is a church without the ability to relate to the lost?
I bet you never thought dentistry could be so profound.
Sterile, overall, is a good thing. Just hearing the word makes you feel good. At the dentist's office, we have two whole rooms dedicated solely to the process of sterilization. The least sterile thing we let into our environment are the patients themselves. Some of them are just downright dirty. They smell like they've smoked a full pack on the way to the office. Some of them have colds. Others have just eaten and not bothered to brush. It makes me glad I work in the office and not in their mouths.
There are those who try, of course, to make a good impression. They'll ask for a toothpaste, toothbrush and floss when they sign in for their appointment. They're my favorite. I'm one of them. It has always been a ritual for me, before going to the dentist, to brush, floss and rinse with Listerine. In fact, I would say that the interview for this job was a first for me - the first time I have ever flossed immediately before going for an interview.
But you can't really trick a professional. I used to floss maybe two times in six months and then floss everyday for a week before my dental appointment and think I could get away with telling them, "yes, I've been flossing." There would be this pause and then a "hmmm...really." Then we'd go over the basics and importance of flossing.
If we could sufficiently clean our teeth on our own, there would be no point in going to the dentist. Don't get me wrong. It doesn't hurt to try to clean your teeth. We appreciate that. We just expect you to come with some calculus and stains.
I went to a church last Sunday where it felt like I should have flossed with my Bible before I walked through the doors of the santuary. It was that sterile! I felt completely out of place. I doubt a one-month hiatus from church could set me back that far, right? I was beginning to have some second thoughts. What has happened to me? Who have I become?
The music was too rehearsed. The people were too perfect. The sermon was too scriptural (I think we read through the whole Bible in thirty minutes - look for the book release in July).
I used to love a well-rehearsed praise band with the latest praise music. Heck, I used to sing with one.
I used to think it was great that everyone looked perfect on stage. Smiling the entire time they sang, speaking without error.
I have always thought that a sermon should be based on scripture.
But here I was, really for the first time in twenty-three years of church-going, feeling like my faith was too dirty to be accepted in such a sterile environment.
I guess my faith has been shaken over the past several years. And I can credit that partially to a husband that has turned my view of Christianity completely upside down. And to a small institute in Colorado that gave me new perspective. And to life's winding road that keeps moving me to new places.
I've come to think that the straight and narrow isn't so, well...straight and narrow. That maybe we've made it so narrow that hardly anyone can fit down it anymore.
It's uncomfortable to be shaken. Things don't fit exactly where they used to. The lines aren't in the same places. As I sat in church last Sunday, I thought of the words of Rich Mullins. He once said something about it being okay for your faith to be shaken. Could be that it's shaking you forward and shaking you free.
People with really horrid teeth will tell you so on the phone when they're making their appointment. They've had a bad experience in the past. Many have been yelled at for not taking care of their teeth. They don't want to be given another lecture. They know they've got black spots from neglect. They know they need help. I tell them not to worry about it, that our dentists are very gentle and understanding. Not to be discouraged. We've seen a lot worse.
The environment is sterile, but it has to be infected in order to make a difference. After all, what would a practice be without the patients? What is a church without the ability to relate to the lost?
I bet you never thought dentistry could be so profound.
posted by Joy at
10:56 AM
2 Comments:
Interesting analogy with church and dentistry. I have been thinking about some of these same issues, issues of sanctification. Sometimes it is so discouraging to be confronted with how sinful and impure and unrighteous we really are. But we needn't be ashamed, for God has chosen us to be His own, and it is ONLY through His grace that we are saved by faith. It isn't anything we do to earn His favor. Do we need to be washed clean? Of course. Does the church do this for us? Heck, NO. I know what you mean about everything seeming too perfect, rehearsed, performed at a worship service, but hang in there and get to know the people a little, and you will see just how REAL they are.
By
Joyella, at 11:21 PM
clave - i can't tell you how long the offer will stand, but anytime you feel the need to use an autoclave, let me know. i have connections. sterility is just a phone call away.
By
Joy, at 11:35 PM
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