What's that smell?

This morning as I was getting ready for church I proceeded to have the debate in my mind that I usually have when I get the baby ready, "Should I get her dressed first or should I get dressed first?" I'm not sure if anyone else has or has had this conversation with themselves regarding small children but I see the pros and cons of both. If i get her ready first then she is all set, BUT she could end up spitting up on herself or getting herself dirty and then I have to change her. If I get ready first, then she could spit up all over me or get me dirty and then I have to change myself. I haven't really mastered this answer but today I decided to dress her first. I changed her diaper and her clothes, picked her up, and went to my closet to get my outfit. "Great!" I thought. "I have a sense of what I am going to wear so I can get my clothes relatively quickly and be on my way. This is perfect!" As I was looking for my top I suddenly got a whiff of this horrible smell. I immediately looked at Abigail, who was in my arms, and she gave me a sly smile and giggled. "Seriously Abigail?! I just changed you." I gathered my clothes and shoes and headed for her bedroom to change her...again.

As annoyed as I initially was, I couldn't help but think how much this parallels to life. How often have we cleaned something up, fixed something, planned to change our lives for the better and then BAM...that horrible "stench" of bills, temptations, unexpected expenses, and the like hit us from behind?! It's like washing all the dishes and then someone puts a plate in the sink. Or how about finally sitting down to do a budget and then a tire suddenly blows? What about getting in a committed relationship and then the person who used to be part of a wishful thought decides to confess their feelings? (This reminds me of Alanis Morissette's song "Ironic". It's like RAAAYYYYYYYEEEEAAAAIIIIINNN!..) It's almost inevitable. As soon as we clean up, something is right there to make it dirty again. It can be so discouraging. It can make us want to quit. "What's the point?" becomes the overriding thought. BUT we must remember to push through it. We must remember that all things are possible for those who believe (Mark 9:23). The enemy wants us to give up but we must not give him the satisfaction. We must stay focused on the goal and keep in mind that any obstacle or difficultly is an opportunity to make us stronger. When building muscle, the muscles experiences small tears that are naturally repaired by the body. When repaired, they are stronger than before the tears occurred.

Galatians 6:9 tells us not to get weary in doing good things because we will see it pay off in due season. Let's keep this in mind the next time that unpleasant aroma hits our nostrils and we just want to scream and quit. Let's compose ourselves, clean up the mess, and keep moving forward.