After many long months of procrastination, I decided it was time to get in shape. Knowing myself, I knew I would need more than an “ok let’s do this” attitude, so I invited a friend along to keep me accountable. Unfortunately, the only time that worked for the both us busy moms was a 6:45 a.m. start time. SIGH! Nevertheless, we decided to start the following day. Being that her house was on the way to the gym, we planned that I would pick her up promptly at 6:30 a.m. so we could both be back before the chaos at home begins.
Naturally, on our first day I slept in until 6:28 a.m.; so of course, I bolted out of bed, put my sweats on, scarfed down a banana, and flew to her house. All was well, aside from the friendly glare I got. So when we arrived, we chit chatted, changed our shoes, stumbled to figure out how to operate the machines (if I can build a castle out of Lego without directions, I can do this!), and started on the treadmills. About 15 minutes into walking I realized, though smelling, that I had forgotten to put on deodorant! Completely mortified, I tried to reason in my head “she’s far enough away – she won’t smell me”, and “everyone stinks when they sweat right?” Thankfully, I don’t think she noticed but it distracted me for my entire work out. I couldn’t focus, I was quieter that I would have been, I probably was a little stand offish, and all because I was worried about being offensive in smell to one of my best friends. Once home, and in the shower, I was contemplating my potentially embarrassing omission. I was reminded of a scripture verse in the Bible: 2 Corinthians 2: 15 & 16 “For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.” In our culture today we are so fixated on “keeping the peace” and not being “offensive” with people, that we forget that the Bible tells us that we bring the smell of death to people who are perishing! How many of us put deodorant on our faith in order to “not be offensive?” Hiding what we believe, not standing up for truth, and maybe even partaking in things that we ought not to, all for the sake of “not offending someone.” I am not suggesting that we should go around purposely offending people by shoving the Bible down their throats, or casting judgement on them; absolutely not! God’s word tells us that HE will judge unbelievers – not us. Our obligation, as the Bible tells us, is to speak truth into their lives with the love of God expressed through our actions and attitudes, and by holding fast to Biblical truths even if it means offending someone.
Too many of us put deodorant on to cover up the “working out” that God want to do through us. If we compromise on what we believe or try and hide or cover it up, I believe in God’s eyes we are hypocrites who don’t smell. God tell us we should smell! Too believers, we’ll smell good and we will encourage them. To unbelievers, we will smell like death. You know, smelling like death may not sound all that desirable but I can tell you from my own walk before I accepted Christ as my Saviour that God used someone who had the “smell of death” as a personal wake up call for me. I was drawn in because I knew from their “smell” that something wasn’t right in my life and I needed to stop procrastination and get in shape! Thank you Jesus for using that person in my life!
I want to encourage all of your Christians who are afraid of “stinking it up” that your “smell” might be used in someone’s life, as it was in mine, to bring truth and bring another person into the kingdom of Christ.
Keep the deodorant for the gym and not your Christian life – stink it up!
