After a long day of traveling with little ones, I was really looking forward to climbing into bed and getting some
rest. Running through the to-do list of things in my head of what must be done
before I could escape to my pillow, I began to conquer them almost before our tires
stopped in the driveway; let the dogs out, check the dishwasher, do the girls need a
shower? Ect…
Item number one waiting for us as we crack open the door, tails
wagging, legs jumping, this is what love wrapped in fun looks like. We make a beeline for the backdoor
before their excitement over seeing us leads to a puddle on the floor.
I tell the girls to get ready for bed as I make my way to do the same, “Pillow, I am
only seconds away!”
Still in the bathroom running through the “before mom can go to bed checklist”
I hear those dreaded words, “IS THAT POOP?” I don’t remember smelling poop as we entered the
house (any mom of a toddlers who put everything in their mouth have a nose sensitive to this). “No big
deal,” I think to myself, we just let Maya in too soon (It’s ALWAYS Maya). Until I
hear the words, “MOM, IT’S ON YOUR BED!” NOOOOOOO! So close to rest and now so far
away! I rush out of my bathroom to find that Maya has in fact, not only brought poop
inside and on to bed, but she is now eating it!
As much as we love our dogs and treat them as family , there
are THOSE moments when we realize, “WOW, this is just a DOG!” She doesn’t get it
that there is anything wrong with her bringing poop from outside onto my white
comforter, and eating it. She thinks, “hey, this is different poop than mine! I think
I’ll give it a whirl, and come to think of it, I haven’t seen mom all day, I sure would
love to spend some time with her while I’m eating this poop.” The worst part is,
Maya is a profuse licker….I know that she is going to try and kiss every part of me
after eating that poop! “YUCK!”
Okay, so I have a poop-eating pup. What does this have to do with anything? Why,
is this is even worthy to write about? As I was lying in bed last night, I could feel
Maya at my feet. She wanted to get close to me but I was still a little mad at her (and
disgusted). I found myself wondering, “Will I ever let her lick me again now that I
know that she eats poop?” And I realized the love of God for us in that moment. He
doesn’t distance Himself from us, even when He walks in and sees us, catches us, in
our most disgusting, shameful acts of sin. He loves us…spreads out His pure white
rode, fragrant with heaven and says, “I smell that and I want to wash it off of you if
you will let Me.” Even though it assaults Him, He doesn’t distance Himself from it, He
draws close because, “Love bears all things, endures all things, Love never fails.” 1
Corinthians 13:7.
His loves is not put off by our sin, His love put on our sin so that we never have to
know the stench of it. I found myself wondering last night about the relationship
Christ has with us. What is it really like for Him when we “bring our poop” in to His
world? These are the thoughts that run through my mind at 3:00 a.m.
I am reminded of John 18:11, “So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath;
shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?” Jesus doesn’t fight it, or us.
Yet, He bears it. He was human, like us, He could feel the pain of emotions, sweat,
fatigue, and exhaustion. He had skin, He bled when they punched Him, He tasted the
blood in His mouth. He smelled the stench of body odors and refuse in prison and
those that were flung at Him. It was REAL, HE IS REAL. HE REALLY DID BECOME
SIN FOR US, That was a REAL experience. Your sin is REAL and It was REAL as HE
WORE IT “and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:6.
We draw away in disgust to the things that STINK in this world, yet He draws near.
He surely is HOLY! Wow, we have misunderstood what that word really means. It
means, to be completely clean, set apart, sanctified. What if it isn’t the stinky things
in this world that really makes us dirty? But, what if the way we respond to the
stinky things tells the truth about whether or not we are truly clean (holy)? What if
Holy isn’t that you live a perfect life, but that you Love perfectly because you allow
yourself to be perfectly loved by perfect LOVE HIMSELF?
I am awed by one of the last interactions we see of Jesus before His crucifixion. It
occurred at the raising of Lazarus. In John 11:39-40, “Jesus said, Take away the
stone. “Martha, the sister of the dead man said to Him, “Lord, by this time; there will be
an odor, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, Did I not tell you that if you
believed you would see the glory of God?” Jesus does not shy away because a
situation or a person STINKS! Instead, He comes near, He removes whatever
barriers stand between and He enters in.
Thank goodness that Jesus does not treat me like I treat my little Maya when she
eats poop. Oh Jesus, please, oh please make me more like You.
