Ewww, what’s that smell?

Okay, I’m a stickler when it comes to smells. I love candles that smell good, I love a great smelling soap or body wash, I love the smell of food cooking in the kitchen, I love to smell the after-effects of a fresh rain – there are many smells that I could just bask in and never return to reality. Some smells remind me of when I was a kid, and others just take me to a place where my mind is content.

 

Conversely, there are some smells that repulse me. I hate the smell of cigarette smoke, beer, bad breath, garbage, etc. The list of odors that turn my stomach is probably as long as the ones that I love.

Recently, I entered my house and caught a whiff of something that didn’t have a great smell to it. It smelled like mold or something mildewed. It only lasted for a brief second, but then it was gone.

The smell continued to get more profound over the next few days. I asked my wife about it and she affirmed that she noticed it as well. We did some minor investigation, but found nothing. I did a little spot cleaning on the walls and the floors, but the smell persisted.

The next day, my kids said something about it. Now, I have 3 kids: an 8 year old girl, a 4 year old boy, and a 5 month old girl. Both of my older kids walked in the house and said “Eeewww, what’s that smell?” Then my 8 year old blamed it on my 4 year old…

……just think about it – you’ll get it in a minute.

On day four, I had all I could stand. I’m not sure if it was the unpleasant smell or the curiosity that drove me to it, but I decided to slow my busy life down long enough to take a good look into what this smell was. I had my idea of where it could possibly be coming from, but still was not sure.

I started by pulling the dining room table out and mopping the floor. Sure it needed it, but I found no “smoking gun” as to where this odor was coming from. After mopping the floor with a mixture of bleach and water, I could still smell the underlying odor.

So I moved to the next curious spot: Under the kitchen sink. I removed all of the cleaning supplies, dish detergent, rubber gloves, etc. The cabinet bottom was lined with that rubbery drawer-liner stuff, and I think at some point early on in its existence it had been white. Not wanting to initiate the act of Congress it would take to clean it (and because its way cheaper to replace it), I took my pocket knife and sliced a large area of it in two so that I could pull it up. After bleach, degreaser, and some elbow grease, the spot under the kitchen sink shined with brilliance………but the smell remained in the air.

Next I moved to the stove. I don’t know if you’ve ever cleaned out from under your stove, but I can say this: If you haven’t and are now considering it, be prepared for what you might find (I won’t go into detail). After a good mopping and scrubbing, the floor was clean as a whistle………but the smell still remained!

By this time I was getting desperate. I had to find the source of that smell! I was now considering investigating under and behind the refrigerator, but, having just cleaned from under and behind the stove, I had some serious reservations. After all, the area where the refrigerator meets the kitchen is by one of the busiest places in the entire house: Right in front of the microwave. I guess it was hard for me to face the music and come to grips with the fact that it was probably a nightmare down there. Nevertheless, I moved the refrigerator and almost lost my lunch over what was back there (again, no details – it was embarrassing). After a good soaking in bleach and degreaser, the floor and the surrounding area was as good as new………

BUT THE SMELL WAS STILL THERE!!!

Having made a serious dent in the smell, I decided to leave it be. I opened some windows, hoping it would air itself out. After I took the time to replace everything I had moved for the cleaning project, I began to prepare some things for supper. “Mashed potatoes sounds good”, I thought to myself. I grabbed the bag of potatoes to begin peeling them……and found the source of the smell.

I would like to describe it to you, but, again, it was too terrible for words. I never guessed that the bag of potatoes sitting on the back of my kitchen counter had a rotten potato in it. Undoubtedly, the bag had a decaying spud in it when I got it from the grocery store – it just was not noticeable until it entered my house.

And the more it sat, the more it stagnated and stunk up the place.

I tell you this story because, like an unknown rotten potato can really foul up the air, the superficial pleasures of this world can really soil your soul.

I did not thoroughly check the bag of potatoes in the store before purchase; therefore I missed the bad one in the bunch. The bag was clean, the spuds that I could see were in good shape, but deep in the center laid decay.

Many of the things we are exposed to in this world look good on the outside. The Bible indicates that the Devil himself parades around as an angel of light (2^nd Cor. 11:14).

When the smell was too much to bear, I decided to do some major cleaning – even in those places where eyes never see. What I found embarrassed me.

We are instructed to take a thorough and honest examination of our lives (2^nd Cor. 13:5) to see where we stand in the faith. Even the best investigators miss out on a few things from time to time.

Once I finally found the source of the smell, I immediately did something about it. I threw the potatoes away. I didn’t attempt to make them smell better – this was a drastic move to deal with a drastic problem.

Christ instructs us to make a drastic move when we’ve been made known of our faults. He says in Matthew 5:23-24 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

With the holidays upon us, let us as believers strive to be beacons of light in a darkened world by keeping our “house” clean. Substitute your New Year’s Resolution with a Life Resolution by surrendering to the inspection of the Lord Jesus Christ in your life.

When we surrender everything in this world to His Lordship, He discloses the rotten potatoes in our lives.

And He will help us to throw them out.