Yesterday during our Bible study time we read the story of Mary breaking the jar of perfume over Jesus’ feet.
We remembered few days earlier when people were grilling at the river and how we were excited to eat after smelling it—even though our dinner was just rice and beans and eggs. The pleasing aroma made the whole atmosphere more enjoyable. Then we talked about how our worship of Jesus will be that pervasive and pleasing to those around us.
Then we had an awesome anti-example.
The night before, our dogs had chased an animal right next to our house. Five seconds later, we knew which animal it was.
I can’t even describe how strong the skunk smell was. Words like piercing, sharp, and suffocating are barely sufficient. I was actually taking small breaths to maintain my oxygen level while simultaneously guarding myself from as many of the olfactory toxins as possible.
Let me remind you: our house is built out of concrete block and we have screens on our windows which we keep open all day and night.
So when a skunk sprays ten feet from our house, it not only enters the house in three seconds flat, it also fills the 900 square feet of the house one microsecond later.
The smell was overwhelming. It made my eyes water. I could taste it in my mouth. I swear my nose hairs were lying down in rebellion. The air actually felt thicker.
We laid in bed for a few minutes thinking the smell would dissipate but it SO did not. It actually felt like it increased in strength. My 2am brain did not come up with any viable solutions to the problem.
Thankfully, Larry’s brain finds answers to problems. So he got up and sprayed a cleaner all throughout the house.
And that helped. It made it possible to sleep.
The next day we used a box fan to blow air out of the house—but the air that came inside still maintained some of the skunk smell because: dogs.
The whole experience provided a really great example for our family: do we want our lives be like the anticipation-inducing, relishing, sumptuous enjoyment of barbecue? Or do we want to be the putrid, painful, despicable stench of a skunk?
Which do you want to be?
We remembered few days earlier when people were grilling at the river and how we were excited to eat after smelling it—even though our dinner was just rice and beans and eggs. The pleasing aroma made the whole atmosphere more enjoyable. Then we talked about how our worship of Jesus will be that pervasive and pleasing to those around us.
Then we had an awesome anti-example.
The night before, our dogs had chased an animal right next to our house. Five seconds later, we knew which animal it was.
I can’t even describe how strong the skunk smell was. Words like piercing, sharp, and suffocating are barely sufficient. I was actually taking small breaths to maintain my oxygen level while simultaneously guarding myself from as many of the olfactory toxins as possible.
Let me remind you: our house is built out of concrete block and we have screens on our windows which we keep open all day and night.
So when a skunk sprays ten feet from our house, it not only enters the house in three seconds flat, it also fills the 900 square feet of the house one microsecond later.
The smell was overwhelming. It made my eyes water. I could taste it in my mouth. I swear my nose hairs were lying down in rebellion. The air actually felt thicker.
We laid in bed for a few minutes thinking the smell would dissipate but it SO did not. It actually felt like it increased in strength. My 2am brain did not come up with any viable solutions to the problem.
Thankfully, Larry’s brain finds answers to problems. So he got up and sprayed a cleaner all throughout the house.
And that helped. It made it possible to sleep.
The next day we used a box fan to blow air out of the house—but the air that came inside still maintained some of the skunk smell because: dogs.
The whole experience provided a really great example for our family: do we want our lives be like the anticipation-inducing, relishing, sumptuous enjoyment of barbecue? Or do we want to be the putrid, painful, despicable stench of a skunk?
Which do you want to be?