When we remodeled our house we installed a door knob that has been the source of some frustration, it’s a lever style and on more than one occasion when moving a heavy object into the house I have caught the lever though my belt loop, a feat that most cannot duplicated on purpose. One other annoyance is that if locked and opened from the inside the door knob is not unlocked. Each of us (my wife and I) has been individually locked out on one previous occasion. This morning was my second.
DeAnn was out of town this weekend. Sunday before church I decided to get my long run in early. It was the kick off Sunday to an 18 week countdown to the Chicago Marathon. I grabbed my gym card, water, Gatorade, GU, and my phone that serves me my latest motivational music. Out the door at 7:05, little later than I hoped but still time to get in my miles, shower, and get to church. I knew it as the door slammed shut, but too late. The back door and windows were latched tight. No getting back in, the gym is just two blocks away so I went to run, deciding to deal with the locked out issue later.
I finished about 9:30. I sweat profusely, so my shirt, shorts, and socks are all soaking wet and I was filling the air with a strong aroma. Our gym in this small town lacks one feature that I would have valued on this morning, a shower, for I was not going to be able to get into the house and have one anytime soon. The pool doesn’t open till late afternoon, so there I was all sweaty and stinking.
A funny thought occurred to me, maybe I should go to Sunday School, it is just a few more blocks passed the gym and I would not be any later than is usual for me. But, I just couldn’t do that to my friends. This funny thought turned over and over in my head. I knew I had time to waste as any key was still more than 6 hours away, so I set down with my water and let the thought fill my mind. What would they think if I did? How would I be treated or greeted? We share coffee and a light breakfast between Sunday School and Church, could I grab at least something to eat? I sat in a chair at the gym, head hung over, feet shoulder width apart, sweet dripping onto the linoleum between my shoes, a twisted smile on my face, and a heavy fog of stink rising around me.
Then a deeper truth occurred to me, what if my friends could smell me as God would smell me if sins had an odor. What if stench from unholy acts was as hard to hide as the smell of my workout clothing? How would we treat others as they walked into the building? Who would we set near, or who would we let set near us? Would there be some so repulsive we would turn away at the door? Isaiah said it like this “all of our righteous acts are like filthy rags”, if my righteous acts are filthy rags what do my unrighteous ones smell like?
If our acts created such odors noticeable to ourselves we might spend a whole lot less time trying to clean others up, and spend a few more minutes in the showers ourselves. Then one more funny thought occurred to me, the great theological difference between Catholics and Protestants, we have bathtubs, you Catholics have showers… guess we both know why.
Anyway I didn’t go to church Sunday because I stank, next week I’ll likely attend for the very same reason.
David
