Stinky Little Skunks

It was still dark; the sun had not yet risen. I was still rubbing my eyes, trying to wake up when I looked out the back window of our house, my eye catching something moving in our neighbor's backyard. The outside light from their house gave just enough clarity for me to realize this creature was not a squirrel or stray cat that I was used to seeing out there. No, this one had a spot of white. As it turned and started to move, I knew quickly -- this was a skunk! I stood quietly in the dark as the creature moved slowly, sniffing and exploring every blade of grass it walked past. I'm not going to lie. I started praying in that moment, "Lord, don't let it spray!" 

Some people may not realize, though, that skunks are actually very docile/non-aggressive animals. They aren't out looking to hurt others. They only spray when feel threatened and even then, it's a last resort. They will try other methods, like stomping, to keep any threats at bay before they will spray. How unfortunate then that though they are gentle and beautiful to watch, we only know them for their stinkiness.

I have known, and maybe you have too, a 'skunk' or two in my life: beautiful people with a bad reputation for stinking up the place. They are lovely creations though! They are even docile. But, like skunks, when given a choice of 'fight or flight' in a threatening situation, they stand and fight, or in this case, 'spray.' And once they spray, boy does it have an effect! A skunk's liquid is equal to tear-gas, causing the watering of eyes and coughing. It's also known to induce nausea and even intense vomiting. And its odor can linger and linger and permeate the whole area where it sprayed. One episode is all it takes for us to shy away from them; their reputation proceeds them. And so it is with some folks we might perceive as 'skunks.'

It can be hard to love a 'skunk'. Heck, it can be hard to approach one even. But remember, the 'skunks' in our lives probably have solid reasons for being the way they are. Maybe they have lived a life that has made them live on the defense everywhere they go. Maybe they have been threatened and abused. Maybe they have yet to experience love... real love. It's easy to write-off the skunks in our lives. We 'back away slowly and don't make any sudden moves' just as they advise when you encounter a real skunk. 

But we must remember, God does not call these folks skunks. God sees them differently. God sees what they are without the 'stink' and embraces them and loves them! 

And we must especially remember this: we have all been stinky at one time. Everyone has fallen short. No one is perfect. We all need a Savior. We have all been lost and in need of forgiveness. And I don't know about you, but I don't want to ever forget it. I don't want to ever get self-righteous and think that somehow I'm better than any other 'skunk' out there. The difference between me and them is that God has already gotten a hold of me and has washed my stink away. I'm so glad God didn't 'back away slowly' from me. Far from it. He ran to me. 

***

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus. 

Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law. 

After all, is God the God of the Jews only? Isn’t he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course he is. There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.

‭‭Romans‬ ‭3‬:‭23‬-‭31‬ ‭NLT‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/116/rom.3.23-31.NLT

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