Drill It Out

James clenched the arms of the dentist's chair, hoping Dr. Jones was nearly finished drilling out his cavity. It was a relief when the drill's buzzing stopped and Dr. Jones checked the tooth. "Are you finished yet?" James asked anxiously."Almost. Just a little more drilling, James. We want to make sure the tooth won't continue to decay underneath the new filling." He began drilling again. "If we don't get every bit of the decay out of this tooth, it will get worse and cause problems later on." Dr. Jones hesitated. "It's a bit like that with sin, isn't it? If we notice sin in our lives and ignore it, it will also cause problems later on." "Uh-huh," James said, glad he couldn't talk while Dr. Jones was working. I'm not sure I like having my Sunday school teacher for my dentist, he thought."For example," continued Dr. Jones, "when I was younger, I used to tell a lot of little lies--white lies, they're often called. I didn't think they'd hurt anyone because they didn't seem like that big of a deal. But one day I told a white lie that got blown way out of proportion, and I had to keep telling bigger and bigger lies to cover it up. But the truth finally came out, and I got in big trouble. So now, if I ever catch myself telling a white lie, I confess it to Jesus and trust Him to help me tell the truth instead."The buzzing stopped, and Dr. Jones grinned at James. "That should take care of this tooth. And if there are any cavities of sin in your life, be sure to get them drilled out too.""By confessing them to Jesus?" James asked, feeling more relaxed now that the drilling was finished."Right," Dr. Jones said as he raised James's chair to a sitting position. "He always forgives us when we confess our wrongs to Him. He'll give you a fresh start whenever you need one." Dr. Jones handed James a mirror. "Just like the fresh start you got with that tooth today!"James looked at his tooth in the mirror and grinned. "Thanks, Dr. Jones," he said as he got up from the dentist's chair. "See you Sunday!" -Carolyn E. Yost