When we returned home that night I gave specific instructions. All running clothes HAD to be left right in front of the washing machine. In no time at all I went to gather the clothes up, impressed they had listened well the first time, and threw them in the washer. The smell was HORRIBLE. Everyone that came in the laundry room was gagging. I even had the boys move their shoes out of the garage into the driveway. All bases covered and everyone headed to bed.
Did I tell you I have a very strong sense of smell? As I lay in bed, there was a smell that seeped out of the laundry room and into my bedroom. It haunted me all night. When Taylor got up the next morning he came back in and said that something was stinking in the laundry room. Because he runs a fire and water restoration business he is a pro (literally) about smells. If he thinks something stinks it must be SERIOUS!
Back I go to the laundry room. I wondered if someone had not listened after all. Had a stinky garment landed in the hamper, hidden? So with a furor and vigor that only a person truly on a mission has, I tackled the laundry. Load after load went through, but the stink remained. The thoughts I had began to become irrational. I considered that the stinky shoe smell was rushing out from the driveway, coming in through the garage, and into the house. I considered asking Taylor to bring professional equipment home to clean our laundry room. Had something died in here?
On my way to go get groceries I realized that rain had poured down on the already stinky shoes and soaked them again and so I picked them up and headed to the empty washer. I threw them in and put some strong cleaner in as well. When I got back in the van I realized everywhere I went the smell followed me. I picked up my phone, my hand stunk like the shoes. I touched the steering wheel and it transferred. It was happening before I even realized it. The stench was getting everywhere.
But isn't that the way it happens with our attitude also. When I am grumpy or angry or bitter or sad that attitude begins to travel around with me everywhere I go. It doesn't take me long to begin to see that same attitude show up on our children. I also begin to see it in other people, like the clerk at the store, the librarian, the waiter. But it is me sharing my stench with others around me.
The Lord in His kindness gently reminded me of who He created me to be..."the aroma of Christ." 2 Corinthians 2:14-15 says, "Yet I am so thankful to God, who always marches us to victory under the banner of the Anointed One and through us He spreads the beautiful fragrance of His knowledge to every corner of the earth. In a turbulent world where people are either dying or being rescued, we are the sweet smell of the Anointed to God our Father." It's His aroma that we should be spreading around. When we come in contact with others its His love, joy, and peace that should be blessing them.
When I returned home I went back to the laundry room. IT STILL STUNK! I had washed every single thing in the the basket. I had put two towels in with the tennis shoes and decided to try washing those towels one more time. Just before starting the load, I remembered I had left a couple of dish towels in the sink of the laundry room and went to grab them. Underneath those towels lay the stink. Two very wet, very nasty socks. They had been there for two days. I threw them in the washer immediately and before the cycle was complete the smell was gone.
Our attitude may take a bit of digging too. Just like I had to go through a lot of laundry to discover the real problem, some persistence may be required. But being honest with ourselves and before the Lord is a key. Is there a reason why I get angry quickly? Is there a lie that I have believed about myself that causes me to self-protect or grow defensive? Do I avoid the nasty smell all together just hoping that by ignoring it may go away on its on. Maybe the stink is not a surface issue and needs a bit of patience to discover the real issue.
But once we discover the root of the issue it can all shift. We need our good Father to speak into our situation. He can help us discover what the real stink is and allow us to be what we are created to be. We are the aroma of Christ and it is His fragrance we are made to share with the world around us. It is truly amazing how our good attitudes rub off. When we are joyful it also affects those around us. I was praising God the other day singing as I went around the house and within a few minutes Elizabeth Jane singing the same song. It was so sweet to think that my joy transferred into her joy.
It is a privilege to be the aroma of Christ. Our "perfume" came at a costly price. As we go through our day let's spread His beautiful aroma with as many people as we can and see how many leave us spreading that same aroma with those they come in contact with.
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