Royal and Loyal Friends

We've gone through a lifetime together. I expect we'll be close for many years to come. My teeth are important to me. We're old friends.

I've had plenty of dental work lately, including fillings and a couple new crowns (royal friends). I've gotten to know everyone in the dental office by name. My dentist even gave me a nice Christmas gift!

Like many people, I've gone through spells when I didn't take great care of my teeth. I guess I took them for granted.

A couple I've lost to extraction; I just didn't take care of them.

Here's the crazy connection: Teeth are like friends. Get it? You've got to take care of them. Some will stick with you, no matter what, even when taken for granted, and some won't. Friends not taken care of are like teeth we've lost. Neglected friendships can be restored, at some extra expense (like a crown for teeth). The best situation, of course, is regular attentiveness to our friendships.

"A friend loves at all times." Proverbs 17:17

"Do not forsake your friend, or your father's friend." Proverbs 27:10

"Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up the other; but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10