angelaschmeling

Have you ever stepped into a barn and instantly your nose gets flooded by smells of hay mixed with animal sweat and poop?

It’s gross.

At first.

But after awhile, if you stay in the stinky area, you can adjust to it and soon the smell is no longer a problem. You don’t think about it. It doesn’t seem so bad. It becomes normal. That is, until you go back out into the fresh air and then go back into the smelly area. But until then, you don’t notice the stink as much.

Now, let’s take a look at the world around us. I think we can all agree, there is some stink out there. There are things that dishonor God. Things that pull us away from Him. Things that the world says is no big deal. It’s okay.

Can you do those things that you know deep down probably aren’t good for you?

Sure.

Should you do it?

Well, the Bible says this:

I like how the Passion translation puts it.

I have been told many times that God is so restrictive and doesn’t allow us to do anything. He’s all about rule, rules, rules. Well, right there we read that God said that we can do anything. We have that freedom to do so. BUT, is it beneficial for us? Is it good for our spirit to do everything that the world is doing?

Have we become so numb to the culture around us that we do not smell the stink anymore and thus becoming enslaved to it?

Do we allow things into our homes or into our lives that God has been calling us or gently prodding for us to get out?

I had a friend recently tell me that she had a tradition with some other women of watching all the Oscar nominated movies together before watching the actual Oscars and see if their favorite would win. She had spent time in January doing a Bible study and so when she watched the movies this year, it hit her differently.

She said the movies left a bad taste. Some she couldn’t even finish.

She noticed a stink.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I am not saying all movies are bad. I’m not even saying this years Oscar movies were bad. Truth be told, I don’t think I’ve seen one of them to form any opinion. But I am saying we need to be more mindful of what we are watching. Is what we are watching, though it may be a good movie, but it is good for our spirit? Is it beneficial for our soul or is it degrading it and rubbing it down a bit?

I know what you’re thinking, “Angie, quite being a prude. It’s not that bad. A little bit of crass in that movie isn’t a bad thing. It’s common nowadays! And that book, so what if it has that one scene. It doesn’t bother me. So what if I swear, everyone does.”

True it’s common now days. But isn’t that the point? Back in the 1950s, TV wouldn’t allow any language and never allow scenes and language that are now prevalent on most shows.

“But, Angie, it’s just a little bit.”

My husband loves this analogy about a plane heading from Dallas to New York. The pilot adjusts the dial by just 2 degrees. No big deal. It’s not that much. Until the pilot realizes he is in Chicago and a far cry from New York. All it took was a slight adjustment to throw completely off course.

If we keep allowing things in, things that we know that God is calling us to let go of, things we know are not beneficial for us, and allowing that stink to become normal in our lives, we will drift further and further from where God has called us to be.

We need to get some fresh air into our souls and we need it daily.

Let us not become so enslaved to the culture around us that allows anything through whether it is good or bad, but look to Christ who truly cares for us and our well-being. Get into His word and let Him speak to you.