 |
| Photo by Susan Norris |
Something Stinks In There
By Susan Norris
Do you have a sensitive nose? I
do. I can smell when something’s off quickly. I opened the pantry and
knew there was a problem. The smell was of something rotting. Now I
normally go right to where I keep the potatoes or onions, because they are the
only produce in the pantry and I can usually solve the problem quickly, but the
potatoes and onions I found in the baskets were fresh. The smell was
still there. Could it be in the trash? After taking the trash out, wiping
the trashcan down and putting in a new trash bag, I knew it wasn’t the trash
stinking up the pantry. Through some investigation, I found it . . . a runaway sweet
potato that had rolled to the back of the pantry, hidden behind other
things. It was squishy to the touch (yuck), but once it was removed and
disposed of, the stench in the pantry evaporated.
We can be like the pantry. We can go
through life with something hidden, we haven’t dealt with, we haven’t been able
or willing to remove, and if left long enough it begins to stink. It will
impact every facet of our lives, whether we realize it or not. It could
be a sin we’ve committed or something that was done to us that wounded us
badly. Either way, if it isn’t removed, it will contaminate everything else
in our lives. We can only keep it hidden so long. If we don’t
discover it, the stench will make its presence known.
Yesterday, I had the privilege of
assisting a brave young lady take the first step in cleaning out her pantry of
life. She is a victim of human sex trafficking. Not only did she
have many vile things happen to her, she was forced to do things she wouldn’t
have chosen to do on her own. The fact that she did them has covered her in
shame and humiliation long enough. She chose to trust the One who has
pursued her with a pure love to help her find the rotting things that need to
be removed from her life [Jeremiah 31:3] .
Nothing is hidden from God [Hebrews
4:13]. Just as He told Jeremiah He would uncover Esau’s hiding place and
remove him, He will uncover the hidden things in my young friend’s life and
remove them as far as the east is from the west [Jeremiah 49:10, Psalm 103:12].
He is for her, and He is for us too [Romans 8:31-39]. He loves her and will
gently help her find her way, warring for her when necessary, to bring her into
complete freedom. She may have entered a treatment center as a victim,
but if she will allow the Lord to do the necessary work in her life, she will
emerge a survivor! Jesus will make sure of it. He will do the same for
anyone who will call upon His name [Psalm 50:15. Psalm 91:15, Jeremiah 29:12].
 |
| Photo by Susan Norris |
What does your pantry of life smell like? Is there something rotting in there that needs to be uncovered and removed? You have a loving and gentle Father who desperately wants to clean it out of your life. He doesn’t use harsh chemicals to do the job. He uses love and His blood, which cleanses even the hardest stains [Psalm 51:1-7]. He’s more dependable than the Maids of Honor. One call, that’s all!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Hey!! We LOVE hearing from our readers and fellow Church Chicks! Please leave a comment to let us know you stopped by!