The smell of sewerage is distinctive…to put it mildly.
After living in a camper for a summer, I got to know about this up close and personal. This romantic routine included opening the valve under the trailer while not being able to hold my nose, watching the decomposed sewerage gently flow like a river into the peaceful and purposeful container, holding my breadth, taking off the cap and replacing with an airtight one.
After that, I’d haul it in my truck as it gracefully danced around in the back of my truck before arriving for the five-star job of uncapping it to send it down the drain at our city’s sweet-smelling sewerage plant where it would be transformed into pure city drinking water.
Before receiving Christ, I didn’t know just how bad I smelled in His sight - and probably others. What was incredible to me was how patient some of the mature Christians were who had to regularly change my spiritual diapers and dispose of them without radically exposing my indignities.
Now these many years later, I wonder if I make a show of holding my nose as baby Christians and unbelievers stumble through their sin upon my observance.
May God give me the fresh air of grace that had been, at times, romantically displayed to me when I made them get their hands, uh..."dirty."
These people are a stench in my nostrils, an acrid smell that never goes away…Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it upon both their shoulders and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were turned away, so that they did not see their father’s nakedness….“Then I passed by you and saw you, and behold, you were at the time for love; so I spread My skirt over you and covered your nakedness. I also swore to you and entered into a covenant with you so that you became Mine,” declares the Lord God…Above all, have fervent and unfailing love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins [it overlooks unkindness and unselfishly seeks the best for others]. Isaiah 65:5 NLT, Genesis 9:22,23 NASB, Ezekiel 16:8 NASB, 1 Peter 4:8 NASB