I left my unfinished chicken salad lunch in my classroom that doubles as an office for myself and two other co-workers over the weekend. Upon entering the room, I was immediately greeted with a smell like the one when you're driving in your car following a garbage truck. Wow, something had cured over the weekend. My quick Sherlock Holmes investigation led me to a plastic Safeway bag that encased the smelly culprit... two plastic containers with the remains of Friday's leftovers. I never realized how much a smell can leak out of a plastic container. When my co-workers entered the smell zone they immediately questioned with great interest, "What's that smell?" I don't know why I didn't want to part with those cheap plastic containers. They must have cost at least a buck at Wally World. But, I didn't want to throw them away. I guess I'm too cheap. So, I tried putting them in an empty filing cabinet. It didn't work. The smell was still seeping out and hanging like a dark cloud in the room. Finally, I put them in the trash can, wrapped them up in the trash bag and threw the whole thing out. The wonderful smell of rotting food finally left the building. The smell remained until we had it removed. I've always kinda felt sorry for those guys who collect my garbage every Friday morning around 6:30 am and have to ride on the back of those trucks. Do they get used to the smell? I'm glad those guys do their job. They probably feel unappreciated.
You know, I've collected a lot of trash in my lifetime. Not just literally, but metaphorically also. You see, there are things in my life that really smell. Garbage. I've been jealous. Jealousy stinks. I've lied. Lying reeks. I've gossiped. Gossip is foul. I've made people and things into idols. Idols have a stench. I've not loved my neighbor as myself. Unloving is offensive. I could go on and on. Failures. Regrets. Shame. My bag of garbage I carried around was overflowing and it really stunk. Until... until the Trashman took it all away. The smell remains until you have the garbage removed. The Trashman asked me one day, "Can I have your trash? Will you give it to me?" Until then, I had no idea how to get rid of the stench. On the day I decided to give my garbage to the Trashman, he took it all. He took it all away.
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! John 1:29
He'll take yours, too.
Duane
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