ON THE PORCH
WE RAN…HE RAN
Benny and I like to walk down our dirt road. When we do, the dogs roam the fields alongside us. One evening last spring we all went for a walk, and Benny and I got to talking and we weren’t paying attention to the dogs. They know how far ahead us they venture before being called back.
When we turned around at the crossroads, Ace was missing. After whistling and calling several times, he finally jogged out of the CRP. When his stench reached our noses, we wished we had just let him be and let him find his own way home.
Ace had been rolling in something dead in the field, and he stunk worse than anything I’ve smelled in years!! At one time, we had a skunk living in the area tormenting the dogs, but even that didn’t compare to the rankness on him that day.
Sierra trained Ace to stay a few inches in front of her and at her side while running. When we go walking, we have to tell him it’s okay to “go play.” Only then is he released to leave our side.
When we hollered for him, Ace took his appointed position. Now that his fun was over, he was determined to stay right beside us (as Sierra had taught him to do), and we were downwind from him. Both Benny and I were just trying not to hurl. Even out in the fresh air, we could not handle the reek coming off that dog. So, we sped up and he sped up. We stopped and he stopped. At one time, we were both at a full out run, and Ace was having the time of his life! I swear that dog was laughing at us. He was enjoying this game and we were just trying to escape.
Winded and out of breath when we got within yelling distance, we phoned Sierra to call for Ace. Neither of us could take much more of his stench.
Because he was having way too much fun making our lives miserable, he ignored her or didn’t hear her, and our game resumed. When we rounded the driveway, Ace saw Sierra standing on the porch, and he could not resist racing to greet his master. We both inhaled gulps of fresh air and slowed our pace. After Sierra bathed him using about half a bottle of vinegar and several applications of Dawn dish soap, we could stand to be on the same 10 acres, but he still had to keep his distance for a few days.
Isn’t that the way with sin? Our walk seems harmless and fun to begin with, even enjoyable. Benny and I were engrossed in conversation and were not paying attention to our surroundings. Had we kept an eye on the dogs to begin with, we could have avoided the whole disaster.
When Ace showed up knee deep in stink, we could not escape the smell no matter how fast we ran. Sin reeks and satan loves to stay right beside us, making sure we cannot escape its snares. The harder we try sometimes, the worse it seems to get.
Just as Benny and I phoned Sisi that day to call Ace off and give us relief, we all have access to the throne of the Creator of the universe. At any time, we can call on God to rescue us and save us from the messes we get ourselves into and the stench that clings to our soul. God does not sleep, and He does not slumber, and He promises to never leave us or forsake us.
Even after we were relieved of Ace’s presence, the damage was done, and our clothes and hair stunk. Not only did Ace need a bath, but so did we. We were not the ones to roll in the dead carcass, but the lingering effects still clung to us as if we had. We felt like new creatures after a hot shower and scrubbing some of the stink off.
God says if we ask, He will wash us white as snow.
**“Come now, let us settle the matter,”
says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.” Isaiah 1:18
Then He will remove that sin that stinks so bad in our life and makes us reek.
**For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:11-12
**No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13
LORD, a lot of times I enter a sinful situation without intentionally doing so. It starts out innocently and the stink creeps up on me. Then before I know it, I in knee-deep in sin and smell like spiritual garbage. I know that is exactly what satan wants. He wants to entice me with a friendly walk, capture my attention with other things, then enslave me to a sinful situation that is next to impossible to escape. But thank You, Jesus, that You always provide an escape route. It may not be easy, and it may have consequences, but it is an exit. Just as Ace needed Sierra’s help to remove the stink from his being, I need You to wash me and cleanse me. Thank You for not holding those sins against me. Thank You for other believers who are willing to take that reek on themselves temporarily to help me when I cannot do it on my own. LORD, search my heart, and if I stink spiritually, show me, so that I can repent and do better next time. Give me a Godly desire to be clean inside and out. Life is hard, LORD, but You are good. May I bring glory and honor to You alone only today. Amen
**”For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” Hebrews 8:12
EAST TO WEST
ON THE PORCH 