When Ed phoned last, I was looking at the ads for dentists in the phone directory. I asked him which dentist office sounded best to him: the first one had the slogan, “We care gently for kids, for adults, and cowards, too.” The second dentist’s office had the expression, “We take care of your mouth like an angel.” My old neighbour said that he didn’t like either. He would go to a dentist that promised, “True painless dentistry at no cost to you ever.”
Since going to the dentist is a necessary mixture of physical and mental torture, I like the idea of a slogan to motivate me. I usually get going to the dentist because a nasty toothache forces me to go. I am too good at ignoring regular checkups and paying with a tooth demanding attention. Love is said to conquer all, but I have not found it so with a toothache. I also recognize a dentist’s chair is the only place I should open my mouth. You cannot put your foot in your mouth there with the dentist drilling, filling, or extracting your teeth in your open mouth.
I’m so old I’m missing lots of teeth which means the excitement of eating with my front teeth like a rabbit. I hope you don’t get the mental picture of that. I do appreciate dentists as they provide valuable help to everyone. Teeth are a gift to us, a vital part of our bodies. Baby teeth are an essential part of childhood. Getting teeth is a big step in a baby’s growth, and losing baby teeth can be a stressful time calmed by the tooth fairy. By the senior years, many have false teeth or rely on a limited supply of real ones. The Bible speaks of it as, “When the grinders cease because they are few.”
The Bible gives two sides of the senior years. In Ecclesiastes, it describes them as the days when folks say that they find no pleasure in them referring to the natural deterioration of aging. It relates to vision and hearing loss, the difficulty of chewing with few teeth, shakiness, dizziness, and lack of energy.
The Bible also speaks of growing old with purpose and usefulness. Psalm 92:14 says, “Even in old age they will still produce fruit, they will remain vital and green.” The righteous flourish like a palm tree bearing fruit while staying fresh and green. In Isaiah 46, we are reminded that it is God who has upheld us since we were conceived and carried us since our birth. God promises, “Even to your old age and gray hairs; I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you, and I will carry you; I will sustain you, and I will rescue you.”
Our eyes may grow blurry; our hearing may lessen, our mobility may become more difficult as our lives wind down. Remember, God is not setting us aside or forsaking us. God says for us to wait! For He will renew our strength in heaven where we soar on wings like eagles, run and not grow weary, walk, and not grow tired. If God is blessing you with a long life, it is for His purpose and your blessing.
