Choices, Choices, Choices...

So I'm at Target combing the toothbrush isle looking for a new toothbrush. I don't know whether I should try something new or get what I always have. But I'm not sure that my "soft" bristle brush is doing the same work that a "medium" or "hard" bristle brush would do. Ahhhh...decisions, decisions. There are a million different toothbrush brands, colors, manual, battery powered...you name it. I even found one that plays music while you brush. The question is, do all the bells and whistles do the job any better than the old standby.

Now when I'm looking at all these choices am I to assume that they are all equally as good for my teeth and gums. That my choice really just boils down to personal preference an aesthetics. Well I wanted to get to the bottom of this burning question, so I held off on my toothbrush purchase. I went home and started clicking away at dentist websites to find some answers.

After combing though several sites(even the VERY impressive American Dental Association) I keep getting the same "strongly recommended" answer. A good old fashioned SOFT bristle toothbrush is the best for your teeth and gums. As a matter of fact some of the other harder bristle brushes could actually be harmful and damage my teeth and gums. So why all the different choices in the stores? Why not just sell the one the experts (in this case being the dentists) agree is the best for your oral health?

Ah the joys of freewill! The reason there are so many choices is because we like there to be a lot of choices. We as a society would almost be offended if we walked into a store with only ONE type of toothbrush. We deserve to have our choice...right? If I want to brush my teeth with a hard bristle, neon pink, battery powered, music playing toothbrush I can! It's my choice! I don't care what the experts say, they are my teeth not yours! They can't control what I do with MY teeth!

Is any of this sounding familiar? See we have grown into a society that has choice just for choice sake. Most of the choices aren't even good for us sometimes even harmful. But we feel cheated and controlled if we don't get to make the choice ourselves. Now I am all for freedom and the right to make my own choice. However with that freedom I want to learn to make the best choices I can for myself. I want to know what the experts say. I mean we do trust the experts right? Wait! How do I know my expert is an expert?

I bought a magazine the other day that's main title was "Editor's Picks--Best of The Web". Oooo had to buy that one. I wanted to know what all the fancy, cool, urban, east coast people thought was cool. We love this though right? If something has a "Seal of Approval" on it you feel more apt to buy it. Approved by whom is a different story. Your happy with the fact it is approved! Anyways, the magazine was filled with "best hotels", "best travel website", "best shopping", "best restaurants" etc. So the question is out of millions of different possibilities on the web how did they come up with the best? See this is a little more dicey than the toothbrush. How can you be sure these were really the best. The bottom line is we fall for it hook, line and sinker. I bet all the sites she had listed in her magazine got tons more hits this month from readers looking for the BEST!

This is a strange dichotomy in our society. We want to have the right to make our own choice, but for the most part we want to know what the best choice is. That is the beauty of an all loving, creator God. He has given us the ability and the freedom to choose. He also happens to be the EXPERT on all things human. This is an expert that you can trust. Why? Because He created you. Simple as that. Look if you can trust some lady in a corner office in a high rise in New York that the best hotel in Fiji is "Ocean Palace"...you can trust God. Moreover it's quite possible this lady has never even been to this hotel and you have never seen or met her...you can trust God. Still having a hard time? Well then trust Him the same way you do your dentist. At least you have met your dentist right? I mean he at least went to school and everything, has a big diploma framed on the wall. You would never think your dentist was trying to control your life by "strongly recommending" a certain toothbrush. Would you? He's your dentist! He is looking out for your health and well being! Right?

Really what it boils down to is... do you want to make the experts choice? OR For sake of choice go against the expert. I advise that someone who created you is a pretty trustworthy expert. In the end the choice is always yours alone; that is your God given freewill. But be warned going against the expert advise may result in your teeth falling out by age 40. Although you will still have your HARD bristle, neon pink, battery powered, music playing toothbrush as a souvenir.