By Rae Lynn DeAngelis
I was chewing on a tootsie roll when I bit into something crunchy. Cautiously, I worked the hard matter towards the front of my mouth. After peering closely at the object between my fingers, I determined that it was part of my tooth. A quick survey of my mouth revealed that half of one of my molars was gone. Yikes! I immediately contacted my dentist to have the tooth fixed. Thankfully, (I use that term loosely) an appointment was open the following week.
As I sat down in the chair, my dentist welcomed me with a warm smile. Looking at my chart he said, “Hmmm, it looks like you haven’t been to see us in a while, Rae Lynn.” (Okay, he was being very nice. It had been two full years since my last visit.)
My fear of the dentist began as a child. Every six month cleaning came with an added bonus—a return trip to get a tooth filled. It seems that I was cursed with soft enamel that gravitated towards decay. Now as an adult, I avoid going to the dentist like the plague.
“Well, Rae Lynn, while you’re here, we should go ahead and do a cleaning and examination to rule out any other potential problems.” (That sly dog! He was taking advantage of this opportunity. Who knew when I would be back?)
He cleaned my teeth, thoroughly examined my mouth, and took some x-rays. With fear and trepidation, I sat waiting—certain of my fate. To my surprise (and his) the dentist looked at me and said, “Looks like your chipped tooth is the only one in need of repair.”
Cue the orchestra. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
I hadn’t been to the dentist in two full years, and I had no other cavities? Unmerited grace. I got the exact opposite of what I deserved in wake of my obvious dental negligence. I was beyond grateful.
“And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.” (Romans 11:6)
When you and I accept God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, we receive unmerited grace every day of our lives. Sinners that we are, we still get to go to heaven. How awesome is that? We don’t deserve it. We can do nothing to earn it. It is a free gift—plain and simple.
Unmerited grace. Now that’s better than a clean dental check up!
“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:4-7)
