Teeth sharpen teeth…well, not exactly.

But let me digress to explain.

Several years ago while getting my teeth cleaned, Katie, the hygienist, poked at a wisdom tooth and I almost jumped out of the chair. “Argh!!!! That hurt!”

Not only did I feel physical pain, I felt emotional pain. I was upset because after my dentist had filled that tooth six months earlier, I had been very, very careful brushing it and flossing regularly. I was determined to save that tooth. So why haven’t my efforts made a difference? It’s not fair.

Then my dentist came in and examined it. Another cavity had started and it was now cracked. It was time to pull it. My last wisdom tooth would be gone.

Did that mean I wouldn’t be as wise? My wise crack still didn’t soften the blow that my efforts hadn’t saved my tooth.

When I complained again, Katie mentioned, “This wisdom tooth is on the top and the other wisdom tooth that was supposed to be below it has been gone several years. As a result, it hasn’t been there to help loosen the food that adheres to it.”

I said something like, “Huh?” I’d never heard anything like that before.

She explained, “Yes, we don’t realize that God made our teeth to grind against each other not just to grind food but to loosen the soft foods adhering to the tooth. When you eat something hard like a carrot or apple, it pushes against the soft foods dislodging them. That helps to prevent cavities.”

I’d never heard of such a concept but it made sense. No wonder that poor little wisdom tooth was having trouble. It was all by itself back there trying to stay clean.

I couldn’t help seeing the obvious spiritual concept of the wisdom of Proverbs 27:17: “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”

The next time you are brushing and flossing your teeth, remember Proverbs 27:17 and be willing to allow God to use others in your life to “sharpen” your spiritual “teeth.” You may just find your spiritual wisdom teeth are cleaner and won’t get cavities.