I can hear the emotion in my son’s voice over the phone. “Dad, please let me get my braces off. They say that they want to work on my bite for a bit longer, but I think it looks great.” He’s had his braces on for three and a half years. They’ve pushed back the date he’ll get his braces off at least four times already. He’s tired of the toll of time and pain. Tired of the food restrictions. Tired of the adjustments.

“God, please end COVID. Please wipe it out. Please let us find a new normal.” It’s a prayer I’ve prayed dozens of times over the past year. I’m tired of the emotional and spiritual toll of walking alongside people who have become sick or have lost loved ones. I’m tired of leading a congregation divided by restrictions: mask mandates and physical distancing. I’m tired of the never-ending adjustments: online, in-person, cleaning, distancing, closures.

I wore braces as a kid. My upper teeth benefited: they run a reasonably straight line, with equal spacing. My lower teeth didn’t: they run a jagged line, angling for space. Like my son, I pressed to get my braces off as soon as possible. I compounded that by wearing my retainer for a fraction of the time I was supposed to. The folly of youth. The folly of the short view.

God is straightening the church through COVID braces. Shouldn’t my prayers be weighted toward the long view of his straightening over the short-view of escaping the bracing effects of God’s spiritual adjustment?

Paul reminds us of the straightening commitment Christ has toward his bride in Ephesians 5:25-27,

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

Holy one, straighten our hearts. Purge us of selfishness. Sanctify us of our sexual immorality. Rid us of all greed. Make us like you, Jesus. Use this straightening season for your good purposes, that our bright and straight smiles might greet you on our holy wedding day.

Photo by Quang Tri NGUYEN on Unsplash