Mental Floss and Truth Decay

A new year is coming! Hooray! After so many hard things happened in 2021, it’s time to wipe the slate clean and start fresh in 2022. That includes using mental floss. More about that later.

Already, a new thing happened to us, and it qualifies as the dumbest thing we ever did. We moved to a different apartment the week before Christmas—the first day my husband and I came out of quarantine after his positive Covid test.

As if that weren’t irregular enough, just five days later, we flew south to spend Christmas with relatives. And the day after our family Christmas get-together, someone there tested positive for Covid.

So, what does that have to do with mental floss? The thought of mental floss came to me after peering into the large, well-lit mirror in our new bathroom. I was amazed at the plaque left on my gumline after I thought I had brushed my teeth thoroughly. You see, our old bathroom had one dim light bulb in the ceiling. The poor lighting fooled me into thinking my teeth were clean. It took five bright bulbs over the new bathroom mirror to reveal the hidden crud I was carrying in my mouth.

A regular examination by a dentist would have eliminated the buildup of plaque that accumulated near the roots of my teeth. But it was easy to put off going. I was busy; I should wait until the pandemic was over. And to put it bluntly, having one’s teeth cleaned doesn’t feel good.

For some, that reflects the way we care for our souls. We put off a consistent time to meditate on God’s Word every day.

We neglect using mental floss to cleanse away soul crud.

Busy schedules eat up our most productive hours. We misplace our priorities. By doing so, we miss the light which God could use to show us places in our lives that lead to truth decay if not corrected.

Dental floss, used regularly with a better toothbrush, would have eliminated plaque buildup in my mouth. Likewise, mental floss (the cleansing effect of the Word of God) digs out the gunk in our souls. Things like a judgmental attitude, a lazy, self-indulgent outlook, or a critical spirit.

Truth decay, much like tooth decay, happens when we neglect regular meetings with the God of heaven. Former truths we learned begin to develop cavities. Conversely, when we pray, when we read and think God’s thoughts from His Word, we absorb those meditations. It becomes natural to put them into practice in everyday living.

The year 2022 could be the perfect time to upgrade your devotional life with the God of heaven.

Just as I bought a battery-powered toothbrush which did a much better job of scrubbing away plaque, so an upgrade in devotional practices will scrub away truth decay hidden in our hearts.

Mental floss. “Wherewithal shall a young man (or woman) cleanse his (or her) way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word…. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” (Psalm 119: 9, 11).

What about you? Any plans to change your devotional practices in 2022? You can comment below.