One Little Tooth

     The other evening Connor was enjoying a Valentine lollipop.  Connor  bit the end of the candy with a crunch and dislodged a loose molar.  The tooth hadn’t been quite ready to come out, so it hurt and bled more than a little bit.  Connor was upset and very dramatically wailed that he had broken his tooth and lost it.  I, apparently, was not quite as concerned as he felt I should be.  In my defense, he has four older brothers, and I have certainly seen more than my share of bleeding over the years.  Finally, certain that this would get me to take this as seriously as he did, Connor proclaimed, “Mom, that tooth was the one that I used to eat my vegetables!”  

     Read on as I connect two seemingly random stories.  I love how God does this.

     Most of you know that my word goal for this year is Dwell.  To dwell means to live, to abide and to rest.  Dwell can also mean to ponder, to linger over,  to emphasize in thought, speech, or writing.  An example of that meaning of dwell is found in:

  Colossians 3:16 

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

     You could say that to dwell is to chew something over.  Now if like Connor, you only have one good tooth to chew your spiritual vegetables with, what should you be dwelling on?

  Paul wrote in Phillipians 4:4-9

      Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 

 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 

 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.   And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

      Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.  Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

     What are you chewing on? What are you filling your mind with?  Is it true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy?

Remember you are what you eat!

-Donna