"That Stinks"

My normal morning begins between 4:00-4:30 each day, and while I am going about my daily schedule, I always allow our dog, Essie, to run about outside for a while. As soon as the door opens she is off to the races barking at deer grazing in our yard, squirrels gathering acorns, and otherwise setting up the perimeter of her home territory. It is actually a little comical the way she commanders the area almost like she has a "No Trespassing" sign posted for all the creatures of the surrounding woods and her life's purpose is to keep outsiders off the grounds. That's all good until Spring hits and some not so frequent flyers begin to prowl around searching for whatever it is they are hunting and creating the potential for what I would label a "stinky situation". 

 

I don't know what it is about skunks, but if there happens to be one in close proximity to our house, Essie will definitely make contact in a bad way. You would think she would remember the tomato juice baths and the peroxide/baking soda/ dish-washing detergent lathers and stay clear, but that is not the case. And it never fails, the mornings that she gets sprayed are mornings when I am either ahead of schedule and thought I was cruising with time to spare, or inevitably her scented excursion correlated with a meeting on my schedule to which I did not have arriving late as an option. In other words, the timing of the spraying made me say both literally and figuratively "that stinks".  

 

Like I mentioned above, an unexpected event such as Essie's stinky situation preemptively disrupts my schedule, creating a need to redistribute my available time, or possibly modify my calendar when necessary. When something disrupts our "normal" day, we tend to get a little flustered, or in some cases it might be better to say angry or mad. But, what if that "stinky" situation changed my schedule just enough that I avoided an accident on my morning commute? What if my redirected attention to Essie manipulates my morning routine just enough so that I run into an old friend that needs a friend at that particular moment? I guess what I am trying to say is what if that "stinky" situation is actually the impetus for successfully fulfilling God's purpose for that particular moment in your day to day life?

 

At my core, I do not believe in coincidences. I believe God has a plan for our lives and along the way we either choose to fulfill God's plan for that life, or God makes a way for His plan to be fulfilled whether we are involved or not. In Romans 8:28 the Apostle Paul reminds us of this truth with the following scripture, "... we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." I may have had a plan for the morning on a day when Essie got skunk sprayed, which in turn altered my plan and in turn may have altered what happened on that day. What if we could alter our mindset regarding much bigger situations and circumstances in our lives? What if the time spent fixing a flat tire during your morning commute led to a chance encounter on a lead to your next career step? What if the break-up in a relationship was what had to happen for you to meet your future partner for life? What if the thorn in your side wasn't there to cause you pain, but instead to teach you that you are strong enough to face anything with God in control? (II Corinthians 12:9-11) The list goes on and on, it all depends on our perspective, which we have total control over when it comes to making that decision. 

 

When Essie gets skunk sprayed and it is pretty much inevitable that she will, it stinks. Both literally, and figuratively anything that messes up our ideal life "stinks". Yet, if we get past the smell and look for the bigger picture, it will almost always display God's portrait for life. You have a purpose, God has a plan, and at times we need an opportunity to realign our plans with His plan. It may stink, it may not feel comfortable, but just as Paul assured the church in Rome and thus all followers of Christ, "all things work together for good." To accept that truth, you must have a relationship of trust and faith which happens as we spend time in reading the Word, regularly praying to and listening for God, and ultimately being able to say "Thy will Father not my own" (see Luke 22:42). Give God control of your life and then seek out His will in all things, once you can see beyond your own wants and desires, then you will truly receive the blessings that God has in store for the life He purposed you to live!

 

Coach Carter