StaIN

I have a patient who gets stain on his teeth extremely easily. We're talking extrinsic stain (the kind that hasn't "soaked" into the tooth structure). It is always quite a job to clean his teeth, especially since the surfaces are not all smooth. He came in today and as I was cleaning his teeth, no matter how hard I tried or how many different utensils, pastes, techniques, etc I used, I could not get all the stain off. This is nothing new. I'm never able to get every speck of stain off. Each time he comes in I have hope that something new I try will work. Alas, it hasn't. Today being failed attempt number 10? It makes me frustrated, I get a little angry at myself, at the patient (who can't help it). Today was different though. Not the anger part, but there was a hidden lesson in there just for me. God showed me that no matter how hard I try, I can't be perfect. My life is like his teeth. There are many rough surfaces that attract sin. I can try everything to get the sin off, to smooth the surfaces so that it is harder for sin to stick, but I will always fail to be completely clean. The same goes for "fixing" other people. Only He sees all the hidden nooks and crannies of who we are and where sin hides. He is the only One who can make us completely clean. If we try, it will only lead to anger and frustration at our failed attempts. We MUST trust Him to do it. The good news: He will do it. He has done it. Sin may be there, but it is NOT master over us as Christians-- our emotions, our future, our actions, nothing! Christ has died once and for all to cleanse us of all sin, clothe us in righteousness, and give us hope for an eternal home with Him in heaven.

Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"
Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us"
1 Peter 2:24 "and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed."
Rev 3:20 "Behold I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me."
Romans 10:13 "For whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved."

Romans 6:11-14 says to Christians, "Consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal bodies so that you obey its lusts and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you for you are not under law but under grace."