A Finger Full of Mojo Poo

 

A few days ago our dog Mojo came in from the outside while we were finishing dinner. Right away something smelled off.  It smelled rank.  Right away the Northern Woods Girl came out of me and I wondered how did this dog get around a skunk?  I found myself beginning to wonder if we had enough tomato juice for a skunk smell to clean him up. 

We opted by started to give him a bath.  The smell was atrocious and my eyes almost began to water as I reached down to his collar to take it off.  As I did, my finger gooed in what I knew right away was poop.  I think Mojo had rolled in it, got it wedged in his collar, and now permeated the odor all through my house.  In the end he had to be scrubbed at least three times, all my surfaces cleaned, and I’m still not sure he was 100% clean.

People in general can be like this in life.  You know something doesn’t seem quite right with them.  You try to help them out by helping them out, lending an ear, speaking the Word of God over them to clean them up, and when you do you find out there was a whole lot more going on than what you realized.  Sometimes other peoples “poo” or mess can get all over you if you let it. 

Absolutely, God wants us to love our brother and sister in the Lord, but we also have to guard ourselves from drama that might pull us down.  You need to love your neighbor as yourself (Matt 23:29), sometimes you might get dirty, but clean it off.  The Bible also preaches that bad company corrupts good character (1Corinthians 15:33).  You have to learn to find the balance.  Love them, do whatever you can for them, but learn how to draw the line.  Jesus didn’t go around in his time on the earth worried, depressed, and caught up in other people’s drama.  He had compassion on people.  They came to Him.  He performed signs, wonders, and miracles for them.  But I can promise you at the end of the day he went to his camp at peace.  He learned to have rest even in all the unrest around Him. 

Think about this as God puts people in your life.  Sometimes the enemy can and does use your good intentions to snare you, and pull you down.  Guard your heart, love people, and trust God.

Remember God has awesome plans for your life.  Get excited!