Do you smell that? I’m asking can you smell what you are about to step in? Sometimes if we are not paying attention,we step right into a pile of upset. The upset probably would not have been an issue had it not fermented to the level of stink it got too.  (Anger, greed, jealousy, and lack of consideration can ferment together and create a smell like no other.)

Instead of getting in there and getting our hands or feet dirty looking for the root of that smell; people walk away hoping the smell dissipates. That smell won’t dissipate until is is taken care of.  There are times we must take the heat and smell in order to clean a mess that was left out to ferment… Once fermentation takes place  we are assured something is spoiled and needs to be thrown out. How do we throw something out that we can’t see? (Upset is something we can’t see until we step into it.)

Keep in mind, for something to ferment; there must be a chemical change.  If anger, greed, jealousy, and lack of consideration ferment; that is a recipe for an explosive temper. People aren’t explosive for no reason, something caused  anger and it normally begins with hurt feelings over a long period of time. For someone to allow all that to ferment is someone who lacks knowledge on how to clean that mess…

What started as a small mess that could have easily been cleaned is now a huge mess; that no one is willing to take responsibility for. (Whoever cleans the mess looks responsible for creating the mess in the first place. Right?)

Who cares who created or is responsible for the stink you stepped in? It does not change the fact that if the mess is not cleaned; someone will continue stepping in it…

If you are stepping in upset, you held a part in creating it which means you hold a part in cleaning it…See, it takes two to cause upset not just one. Two people or more is what it takes to make a mess. Can you argue with yourself? Can you hurt your own feelings?

Whether anyone wants to help you clean or not, you owe it to yourself to quit stepping in something you could easily clean. You can clean by discarding waste you hang onto that keeps disabling you from taking another step forward. Take your anger,jealousy, greed, hurt, and all the other pains you hold to the Lord today. Surrender it all by asking the Lord to take it from you. Repent for allowing yourself to wallow in a mess you allowed but also let ferment over time. Allow yourself a clean slate and whoever you hold those feelings against a clean slate as well… You hanging onto the past and the upset it holds has you stepping into a pile of stink you helped create. Clean the mess through prayer, clean the slate by offering forgiveness, and use caution before allowing your words or actions to spoil the time left you have on this earth.

If you can smell what you are about to step in; maybe consider a different route… This means try a different method than the one you have always used… Pride must be removed in order for a new method to be tried…

Psalms 37:8 Reminds us to refrain from anger

Proverbs 14:17 Reminds us a quick temper causes us to act foolishly

Proverbs 15:1 Reminds us that a soft answer removes wrath but a harsh answer stirs up anger.

Blessings,

Robin Worgull      Author of   The Conflict Within  and   The Right- Minded Woman