Darkness Is My Closest Friend

The summer weather around our place has been unique this year.  On Monday, we had almost 98% humidity, high heat and crazy fog-like conditions.  A friend described how he and his wife, navigated through dense fog banks as visibility shrank from a quarter mile to less than a hundred feet.

Keeping Short Accounts

This week I had to keep an appointment that a part of me didn’t want to keep.

I have to admit that seeing the dentist isn’t my favorite thing to do, even though I have a great dentist.  It’s her dental hygienist though who really gets to me.  Don’t get me wrong, she is a professional that does a thorough job.  But every time I show up for my appointment, my blood pressure goes through the roof.

Today, I finally figured out why.   It wasn’t the annoying whine of the high speed instrument used to polish my teeth.  I know it wasn’t the pumice in the cleaning mixture, because I was already feeling the stress by then.  The clincher for me wasn’t even the sound and feel of the hard metal instrument being used to scrape tartar deposits from my teeth.

The big issue was hubris, my own stubborn pride.  I was worried that I would get found out for having neglected brushing my teeth and flossing regularly.  I realized that I don’t like failing to measure up to someone’s expectations.  That’s a pride issue.  There is no question that every time I keep this appointment, I’m going to be reminded that I fall shot.  Once she started poking around in my mouth, there’s no doubt that she will see the tell-tale signs of gingivitis, the stain of tartar and perhaps find a tiny hole that means a filling will be needed.

I know I’m not alone in struggling to see the dentist.  Many of you feel the same way.  But I found myself realizing afresh how beneficial these scheduled visits are.  If I didn’t give the dental hygienist regular permission to poke around my mouth and probe into the recesses between my teeth, I am risking the development of a lot more serious dental issues.  Failing to keep short accounts with my hygienist could prove very costly in many ways.  By following her counsel on flossing and brushing, I will actually be in a far better place.  So why do I find it so hard to do?

To be honest, my approach toward the dentist is not unlike the approach many of us take with God.  We know there are hidden issues and areas where we’ve failed to measure up (almost like failing to brush & floss on a regular basis).  But pride gets in the way.  So we hesitate keeping that daily appointment with Him.  The truth is we would rather not have God poking and looking too closely at our soul.  Sometimes it hurts when He probes too deeply; often there’s an area that’s supersensitive and we don’t want Him to go there.  We would do well to borrow a page from the Psalmist who wrote, “it was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees” (Psalm 119:71).

The key is to keep short accounts with God.  By giving His Holy Spirit regular permission to examine the exposed & hidden areas of our lives, we are better off.  The pain of admitting sin and earnestly seeking God’s forgiveness is far less painful than trying to hide what the LORD already knows is there.   Remember David & Uriah’s wife?  David thought he could manage his sin, until God’s prophet showed up and helped him keep a short account with God.  That was not David’s “default setting.”   He tried to avoid going there.  But it was only when the LORD set the appointment and helped David own his failures, that this man after God’s heart, experienced the joy of true restoration that even removed the guilt of his sin (Psalm 32:3-5).

As I write of this need to keep short accounts, I’m tracking another prominent Christian leader having to step down from ministry dues to moral failure.  Right now in our community, a youth pastor is awaiting trial for allegedly stalking underage girls via social media.  I’m also aware of a Christian college coach who crossed the line and has left a huge spiritual mess behind.  But for the grace of God, I could easily go down that same path.

Each of these people needed someone to help them keep short accounts with God.   They needed God the Holy Spirit to be free to examine their souls and ensure that nothing hidden could take root and destroy them from the inside.    They could have used a regular appointment with a concerned Christ follower who had complete  permission to poke and prod into the secret recesses of their hearts.  Keeping short accounts with God and each other.  It isn’t optional.  It’s essential if you and I are going to become the people God has called us to be.  Don’t let hubris get in the way.

So put me down on the calendar for my next dental appointment.  I give my dentist permission to go ahead and refill that old filling that’s starting to cause problems.  Her hygienist can scrape away, and poke & prod as much as needed in my mouth.   More importantly, I give the LORD freedom to do the same with my soul.  It’s what I desperately need.  I’m determined to keep short accounts.  How about you?