Today, I want to talk about body odour a.k.a B.O. Haha! But it’s not what you think!
Have you ever been around someone who for some reason emitted an unpleasant fragrance? (to put it nicely) Did you run and hug that person or did you try very hard to keep your distance from them? My guess is that you did the latter. Do you know someone who perpetually has this body odour thing going on? What’s your relationship with them like? You probably mark your territory mentally and hope that they don’t cross into it. It’s not that you’re trying to be mean. You may even genuinely love them (but liver has failed you to tell them the truth). You’re not trying to hurt them by not hugging them or going too close. It’s just that you can’t stand it. You may become nauseated or even throw up. Right?
Okay, let’s flip it the other way now. Have you ever forgotten to wear some deodorant and then realised you had a funky smell through the day? I have (Hey! Don’t judge me now) How was your relationship with people that day? Did you run and hug them or retreat from them? If you’re a self conscious person like me, you probably didn’t move around or raise your arms a lot that day. Know why? You didn’t want them to smell something bad. You didn’t want them to perceive you in a certain light. You didn’t want them to reject you. You didn’t want to offend their senses.
It’s the way our human nature is wired. We are wired to turn away from anything that is unpleasant or offensive. We are also wired to retreat, crawl into our shells and turn away from even those we love when we think we’re emitting something unpleasant or offensive.
This two-pronged conditioning of our human nature often forms the basis of our relationship with God. Do you see where I’m going with this? Please stay with me.
Some weeks ago, I was spending time worshipping the Father when an image started to form in my heart (sorry it’s going to sound disgusting). I saw myself in a septic (sewage) tank, covered in the most disgusting stuff you can ever imagine. I was sinking and stuck in that mess of a place, unimaginably filthy. Then I saw myself being rescued by a man whose name is Jesus. Guess what? He came right into that septic tank and pulled me out. When He pulled me out, He gave me a big hug and then He cleaned me up. No, you didn’t read that right. Don’t miss the sequence. He didn’t come close to the septic tank calling my name from a distance. He didn’t ask me to go and clean up and then come to Him – which, honestly would have been fair enough. He dived into the middle of the mess I was in, brought me out, HUGGED ME FIRST and by Himself, washed me clean and then showed me off as His masterpiece. Is that AMAZING or what? God showed me just a little glimpse of what saving me was like. The truth is, before a perfectly holy God, my filth was worse than being in a septic tank.
Here’s the thing – my natural instinct would have been to run! I should have run because I was too filthy. How could I be covered in human waste and stand to receive a hug from the Man who is clothed in shiny, sparkling, spotless white robe? From the Man who is clothed in light? My human wiring told me to RUN! It told me to run because I didn’t even go close to people or raise my hands if I forgot to wear some deodorant! How much more this mess I was covered in? Besides, I personally would either not hug someone with a stench or if they’re so close, I’d hug holding my breath! You see, the way I’m wired required me to question this level of intimacy that hugs me and even takes on the work of cleaning this unimaginable filth. How can God, the Holy One of Israel, touch that kind of mess?!
I stay grateful that I allowed Him to love me, hug me and clean me up because no amount of soap or disinfectant could have done a perfect job. Only the blood of the lamb that was slain could clean and perfect me for eternity.
So, you may be reading this and thinking “I can’t stand body odour” or “I’ll enter the ground if someone tells me I have body odour”. That very wiring (which is not wrong in itself) is what causes us to struggle with accepting God’s unconditional love and grace. It’s the reason we find it hard to pray when we’ve just had sex outside of marriage. It’s the reason we don’t know how to approach His throne when we feel we have fallen short in any way.
We must stay reminded that God is God, not Man. He doesn’t hold his breath before He hugs you. He is not scared of your mess. He is not repelled by your past – even if it was two minutes ago. Let me remind you that the omni-present nature of God means that even when you’re under the sheets with a man that you’re not married to, or at a wild party doing despicable things, God is right there with you. How does that make you feel? He is right there, ready to deliver you, hug you and then clean you up. It doesn’t matter how offensive or unpleasant the fragrance you’re emitting is. He wants to clean you up and then showcase you as His masterpiece – His very own project.
Stop running. Stop trying to hide. Don’t let guilt hold you back. He is not the source of the guilt you feel. The devil through sin is. Even if you’ve fallen a million times, His grace covers you. The reason you keep falling is that you haven’t entered into the provisions of His grace with your heart. You may kind of know it with your head – but it’s yet to seep into your heart. When it gets into your heart, you WILL experience triumph from sin in a way that most people don’t even imagine possible!
If you’re struggling with accepting God’s love because of the sin(s) you’re in, I don’t want you to do this alone! Let’s talk. Please reach out. If you’re subscribed to this blog, you have my email address. Shoot me an email and I will respond to you as soon as I can.
I love you and I’m praying for you.
Remember to share the link to this post with your friends if it blessed you!
Oh! And don’t forget to wear some deodorant today! (Hey, we’re not God!)