Things You Don’t Want to Think About
I was taught to rinse my toothbrush prior to putting the toothpaste on it. I never much thought about that training but, for whatever reason, I decided to search to see if that was recommended. The general consensus is that you should regularly clean your toothbrush. Toothbrushes are water holding objects and regular cleaning helps avoid the growth of bacteria and other contaminants. The “other contaminants” part caught my attention.
I found another article that stated that there wasn’t a consensus whether one should wet the toothbrush prior to putting the toothpaste on it. Another article suggested regular replacement of toothbrushes for sanitary and effectiveness purposes. Okay, those recommendations are fine.
Then I got to the one that captured my attention. I found another article suggesting that it was okay to keep your toothbrush in the bathroom but it should be far enough away from the toilet so that fecal matter wouldn’t land on it when flushed. I found an article that suggested that 6 feet is a disbursement range of fecal matter when flushing.
That is when I tied the “other contaminants” comment in…gross! I’d bet that most of us keep our toothbrushes in the bathroom and likely within that 6 foot range of the loo. That’s when I decided that my Mom’s instruction to rinse the toothbrush prior to use was a good habit to have (right afterwards, I asked my wife if she rinses her toothbrush prior to use - she does). Since I hadn’t upset myself enough, I tried thinking of the most uncomfortable salvation question I could imagine. I decided that was whether babies who die go to heaven. Unfortunately, I don’t know the answer.
If you’re reading this, you’re probably already formulating a “of course they do” response and even more likely “my God wouldn’t sentence an unborn child to hell before they’ve committed a sin.” I could argue that we are all born in sin.
“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.” - Romans 5:12-14, 18-19 ESV
But the more I thought about the overwhelming need to argue with my response that I don’t know if unborn babies go to heaven, the reality is that it shows my sinful desire to want to define God in a way that is acceptable to me.
“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, and repays to their face those who hate him, by destroying them. He will not be slack with one who hates him. He will repay him to his face. You shall therefore be careful to do the commandment and the statutes and the rules that I command you today.” - Deuteronomy 7:9-11
I’m going to stick with my answer of “I don’t know” and trust God. He is sovereign and I love him.
Just a suggestion, you might want to close the latrine lid before you flush. According to the article I found, it helps reduce the dispersion of fecal matter.
