In the process of becoming dental professionals, we have amassed a collection of academic and professional achievements under our belt. Along the way, we’ve probably been told how capable and talented we are and praised for our varied accomplishments.

What has your experience with mentorship been like? I have had the privilege of being both mentor and mentee with the CMDA Dental Residency [+] program. It has been a wonderful experience learning the different ways mentorship can happen. Before going through the program, my idea of mentorship was very unimaginative. All I really heard about was people finding a good match for an associateship so you could have someone teach you all their wisdom and experience as you grew into who you were as a dentist. While that is a great way to be mentored, I have realized mentorship comes in many forms.

“I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24b, NIV).

Dentistry has the capacity to cause low morale. This has been evident not only personally, but I hear it from colleagues/former classmates and social media. Low morale can be attributed to all the dynamics of being a dentist, including clinic responsibilities, staff/co-workers and personal matters. Feelings of anger/frustration, despondency, diffidence, anxiety, self-doubt, depression, fear, worry, loneliness, burnout and all the like, a dentist will experience. However, the truth is that everyone will experience it throughout the course of life, and it does not matter the profession. My wife is an emergency room nurse, my dad is a small business owner, my brother is a director of strength training and my mother is a customer service agent. Over the years, I have heard them all express what is described above. However, it was those seasons and the help of my brother that led to the message of this blog.

Imago dei: the idea that each human being is made in the image and likeness of God. Now, more than ever, I believe we as dental professionals should be embodying this idea in our everyday lives—not only remembering who we are in the Father’s eyes, but also remembering that each of our patients was intentionally, uniquely and wonderfully made by a loving Father.

Imago dei: the idea that each human being is made in the image and likeness of God. Now, more than ever, I believe we as dental professionals should be embodying this idea in our everyday lives—not only remembering who we are in the Father’s eyes, but also remembering that each of our patients was intentionally, uniquely and wonderfully made by a loving Father.

“You want to be a dentist?! Ohhkayyy Doc, you’re going to be so successful!” I heard some variation of this comment countless times while pursuing my studies of becoming a dentist. Today when I introduce myself in a non-medical setting, I casually say I work in dentistry. If the conversation progresses further, the individual may learn I am a dentist. Then they are wowed by the fact that I am so young to be a doctor, they assume I am successful and often comment on how proud my family must be given my success. Of course, the inevitable question of, “When are you going to open your practice?” comes along, as if to suggest there is yet another layer of success to be attained.

When mission teams were going to China, it was always important for us to understand the cultural, political and power structures in the countries we were serving.

Have you been frustrated or angry with anything in the last year? Maybe a better question would be, “How many times have you been frustrated or angry in the last year,” because it was a doozy. Over the course of 2020, God helped me wrestle through a lot of those frustrating things. I thought I’d grown past the point of letting the continued craziness get to me. I recently realized, however, that though I have grown spiritually this year through handling difficulties in my life and the world around me, I have also become apathetic at times as well. I realized my decreased response to bad news wasn’t necessarily maturity but born apathy of being tired of it all. God convicted me of this reality when someone was giving me a news update last week. I just nodded and tuned them out, because in my mind it was just more bad news, and I didn’t want to know more because I didn’t want to have to think about it.

“…Fear God and keep his commandments…” (Ecclesiastes 12:13, NIV).

In the book of Matthew, Jesus Christ gave the Sermon on the Mount, and in Matthew 6:22-23, He teaches about the importance of keeping our eyes healthy. As Jesus said, “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light” (Mathew 6:22, NIV). When reading that passage, I could not help but imagine what the collective eye of humanity witnessed during 2020. It is true, that year generated and continues to generate great despair, fear, worry, frustration, anger, hopelessness, sin and all the like. Although the above verse is a part of a passage that teaches on money, there is more to these verses. There is a heart condition which is rooted in the greatest commandment. That commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul and mind, and to love your neighbor as you love yourself (Matthew 22:37-40). It is this principal that can help us work through seasons like last year and keep our eyes on eternity.