The Case For Straight Teeth - by Nina

Orthodontist offices, braces and retainers are foreign to me. I was blessed with good teeth and when the rest of my peers were getting braces, I was chewing trident gum. So, what went wrong? All three of my children have orthodontic appliances in their mouths. My oldest just got his braces off and is wearing a retainer, my middle child has braces and my youngest has a palate expander with a lip bumper.

It's interesting that we as parents have a thing about straightening our kids teeth. Whatever one's ethnicity, religion, or socio economic background, most of the population goes to the orthodontist at one time or another. What is the hype about a "perfect smile"? First impressions are important and I have proved myself to be of this persuasion with three metal mouths living under my roof, however I wonder at times if we as a culture have taken this external value a bit too far.What if we spent the same enthusiasm, time and resources on internal values such as character development? "...Don't judge by his appearance or height (or straight teeth - my add on).... The LORD doesn't make decisions the way you do!
People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at a persons thought and intentions." (1 Samuel 16:7) Proverbs 22:6 tells us to 'teach your children to choose the right path, and when they are older, they will remain upon it.'Giving our children the most valuable gifts means giving them love, purpose and hope. Teach them to guard their hearts, for it affects everything they will do - this is the most important part of your job description as parents. If you are a parent of a young child, please begin thinking about these things and implementing them. Sooner or later you too will be at the orthodontist office, and you have a few short years to learn the bent of your child and teach them how to live a fulfilled life.
A word of caution if a child does not wear his or her retainer after the braces come off, the teeth will become crooked again. This is the same with the fulfilled life, if it is not attended to everyday, our lives will look like crooked teeth. We need the Word of God. We need Jesus. We need the power of the Holy Spirit to reside within us.

"Lord, I pray that (name of your child) will find his(her)identity in You. Help him(her) to view himself(herself) as Your instrument and know without doubt that in You, he(she) is complete. Give him(her) a vision for his(her) life when setting goals for the future and a sense of purpose about what You've called him(her) to do. Help him(her) to see himself(herself) as You do. Teach him(her) to look to You as his(her) hope for the future."Amen.
(The Power of a Praying Parent -Stormie Omartian)