the skunk

Last Thursday morning my daughter got up at 4:30 to study for her last semester exam.  I crawled out of bed about 5:00 to help her.  I mean literally crawled…tis the season that we totally wear ourselves out.  I let our Jack Russell, Bubs, out to go take care of his business.

When I opened the door to let him in, a strong smell from outside nearly knocked me over.  It was like the sour gas smell that my hubby sometimes wears home from work, but in a highly concentrated form.  When Bubs came in though, the smell came with him.  It dawned on me, all of this is pre-first cup of coffee, that Bubs had been sprayed by a skunk. The smell was not really skunky.  It was too strong, fresh, and pungent to be skunk, but it was. 

My first thought was save my baby because he was hurting, disorientated, and funky.  I did not have any tomato juice, so I mentally went to plan B.  I tried to sneak him in the hallway bathroom to give him a bath.  I had some good shampoo and conditioner that I was sure would work.  

As I tried to woo him down the hallway before was forced to pick him up, reeking all the way, my daughter smelled him.  She was hiding completely under her blanket and screaming at me to get him out!  I also vaguely remember her saying that she knew a girl who smelled like skunk for a week because of her dog.  Everything at this point seemed very dramatic. 

The rising action reached a climax when my husband walked out of our room down the hallway and smelled my pitiful little Bubs. He met me waving his hands in the air at the bathroom right about the time I was going to lift my funky boy into the tub.  Needless to say, I did not get to bathe Bubs until that afternoon.  I immediately had to take him outside to begin “airing” out.  Dad’s orders!

I lit every candle I had, flipped the switch on our Scentsy collection, and continued on with my morning ritual minus my dog.  I got my first cup of coffee and sat down.  It was only 5:30 A.M., but I needed to regroup for sure because I smelled like a skunk. (Who would know though because my whole house smelled like a skunk?) 

I laughed because I never dreamed I would be willing to pick up a freshly sprayed dog and sneak him into the bathtub, knowing I would take HIS smell on ME!  My kids couldn’t believe I would do that either.  I tried to explain to them that when you love something or someone, you will do whatever it takes to help them, even if that means taking their smell, their mess, or their pain!  It is called sacrificial love.

It dawned on me as I explained it to them that Jesus was born to take on everything from us.  He was willing to live and then die for our sin.  That is love.  I think we sometimes hear the Christmas story and we believe He was born, but we wonder if He was born for us.  In Luke 2:10 the angel said “Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people, for today in the city of David there has been born for YOU a Savior, who is Christ the LORD.” 

Christmas here will be good food, family, and fun, but I am reflecting on this thought because it is the real gift:

I once was_____________,

but Jesus took ______________away from me.

Now I am_______________. 

Write it down, fill in the blanks, know that the Savior of ALL was born for you.