Stinky kids revisited

"Search thy own heart:
What paineth thee in others, in thyself may be." Whittier

"Watch the kind of people God brings around you, and you will be humiliated to find this is His way of revealing to you the kind of person you have become to Him. Now, He says, exhibit to that one exactly what I have shown to you." Oswald Chambers from My Utmost for His Highest, September 11 devotional entry.

So, does this mean I am a stench in God's nostrils? Somehow I keep finding myself surrounded by stinky kids. After the incident on Sunday, again I found the family room filled with malodorous young people last night. This time the smell came from stinky feet, not merely body odor. Jon E. and about five or six other local missionary kids had gone out for tacos together and then hiked up to our house for a Friday night movie. Actually this was a concession for a selfish single mom (me this week!) who wouldn't rest easy until all her chickies were back in the nest after dark. Otherwise the kids might have stunk up someone else's house.

http://www.squidoo.com/stinky-smells

Knowing I wouldn't appreciate their muddy Vans (skateboarder shoes), Converse, and other tennies on my rug, they had thoughtfully placed each pair in a neat row inside the laundry room door. That kind gesture left another slight problem they hadn't anticipated: dirty sweaty socks and feet. I about gagged when I came in my room. Whew! Oh, and add to the mix "taco breath" (raw onions and salsa) multiplied. It was not a lovely combination, I assure you.

Remembering Sunday's lesson, I said not a word except to suggest a bit of ventilation. Jon E. obediently opened a window. I switched on a ceiling fan and strategically placed a small fan between my bed and the family room to blow the odor away from me. Hopefully no one was personally offended.

So, what does this have to do with Oswald Chambers? After some contemplation, I think stinky kids provide yet another opportunity for me to surrender my peevish, petty idiosyncrasies (along with bodily fluids, creepy crawlers, and other not-quite-conquered vices) to the lordship of Christ.

"Either He is Lord of all, or He is not Lord at all." It's as simple as that.

As for treating these kids the way God responds to my stinkiness, I sometimes wish He would just come out and audibly tell me, "Take a shower, child. You need it!" Instead I think He gently and privately reveals the state of my heart, and He personally provides the soap and water to wash me clean.

From here on, may gaggy bad smells serve as a reminder of Jesus and the cross. Rather than focusing on others' uncleanness, may I provide the remedy of the gospel while I search my own heart for ways I might be causing God to hold his nose.