To my knowledge, I have yet to meet anyone who flosses as regularly as the dentist wants them to. And if I have, then those people have not been very good flossvangelists to spread that fact. Everyone knows that they should floss and they know that it's good for them, they just don't follow through with it because - I don't know. Maybe I don't floss enough because I'm just lazy, and I don't want to add another step to my evening routine. Maybe I feel like it won't really make a difference (though deep down I do know it's good for me). The lazy idea seems like the most logical one. Nevertheless, I always pack some floss whenever I'm going out of town. I guess it's a "just in case" type of scenario. Maybe I think my trip will be that magic moment when I decide to turn my life around, and I'm afraid I won't have my floss at that pivotal time. I never do, but I keep packing it nonetheless.
The funny thing is, I used to do the same thing with my Bible. Throughout high school, I would always pack my Bible when I went on family trips. I was never very good at keeping up with reading the bible, though. I'd bring it to bible studies to follow along, and I've grown up with decent Bible literacy, but I was never very good at reading it on my own in my free time, or for personal study. So I suppose, like with the floss, I was expecting some great life turnaround where I would spontaneously devote myself to regular Bible reading. Or maybe I was anticipating possibly needing some words of encouragement or comfort for whatever reason. Either way, I never really ended up opening the Bible on those trips.
Maybe if the Bible was bacon flavored...
I know that reading the Bible and daily prayer and other daily faith traditions are good for me, and I know I should do those things it's just - I don't sometimes. I think part of the problem is that it's possible to be a Christian without those things. If I go to church every Sunday and generally think good Christianly thoughts about my neighbor, my faith can survive. It just won't be as strong as it could be. Likewise, as long as I brush my teeth every day, my teeth aren't necessarily going to rot out. They just aren't going to be as clean and strong as they would be if I flossed as well.
So my wish for us today is that we all may take upon ourselves the responsibility of a daily faith tradition. May we aspire not for a faith that is merely alive, but a for faith that thrives.
Also, we should probably floss more.
Discussion Questions
1. Do you feel like you floss regularly enough (both literally and figuratively)?
2. Is there anything random you always pack on trips?
1. I've never flossed... Like ever... I know it's bad, but when I was in Jr. High and part of high school, I had braces, and flossing with braces is a pain in the butt! (Or... actually... in the mouth...).
ReplyDeleteI think my faith flossing is a little different than that, though. I have fallen prey most of my life to the habit of only opening my Bible, only diving into the Word, when I need it for some reason. My faith becomes, at times, a professional thing, not a personal thing, and so my Bible is only opened when I need to work on a sermon or to plan a Bible study. I don't live within the Word, and I therefore cannot embody the Word. It is something I am working on, but man, discipline is rough!
2. I always pack a hat. I rarely ever wear hats, so this always makes me laugh. If I don't wear one outside on a regular basis, why would I randomly decide I need it while visiting family for a weekend?
1) I would say that my flossing is inconsistent at best. Though I am married to a dentist's daughter so there is some added pressure. I always seem to floss more after my check-up and then it goes downhill from there. Usually faith disciplines are the same way. I start with something and then it goes downhill after time. I wider if that's just a part of life? Flossing and disciplines come and go in cycles? It's definitely a habitual thing and that brings up some other interesting questions.
ReplyDelete2) I always pack an extra set of boxers and socks. Even when I don't expect to get wet or even wear shoes that require socks the whole time. Just extra caution I guess.
1) i pretty much never floss unless i've eaten corn on the cob or have something in my teeth. i think i kind of got into it in middle school, but like wes said, the day i got braces, any hope of a flossing habit was doomed. but i pride myself in getting A+ dental checkups without flossing :).
ReplyDeleteas far as faith disciplines, i feel like i go through waves. its something i know i need to work at and include in my daily life, and there was a time in the spring semester of my senior year that i feel like i was really good about that, but i also was trying to be prayerful about my college choice, and so that was kind of an incentive. but i've also had to come to accept i won't be perfect in that, but that doesn't mean i should give up. also, i've found that having someone you are not only accountable to about faith disciplines, but someone you are doing them with is super helpful. and makes them more enriching :)...maybe flossing with friends would be effective...
2)i always pack more outfit options than i need, because the things i think i'll want to wear are rarely the clothes i feel like putting on when im there--i like options.
ps--that Jesus picture is following me. a friend showed it to me last night...
ReplyDelete