Tuesday, January 16, 2007

I can cause such a stink

Too often I find myself relating to the mother in this cute yet smelly story:


The mother of six children walked into her home one day to see all her children huddled together in a circle. She approached them to see what had evoked such intense interest, and she could hardly believe her eyes.

To her horror, in the middle of the circle of children were several baby skunks. She immediately screamed at the top of her voice, "Children! Run, run, run! Out, out, out!"

At the sound of their mother's alarmed voice, each child quickly grabbed a baby skunk and headed for the door. The screaming and panic, of course, set off the instinctual danger alarm in the skunks, and each of them quickly dispelled its horrible scent. Each child and the house itself were doused with an aroma that lingered for weeks, regardless of intense scrubbing and use of disinfectants.
Too many times I am the mother in this story reacting to my children's behavior with a scream or harsh voice and causing a stink that sometimes takes days or weeks to rid itself. The smell of skunk is all too familiar after living in the foothills for five years.

Most often my children receive the worst of my reactions when I am tired, preoccupied, or in a hurry. If only, each time I was about to respond inappropriately I would get a whiff of one, maybe than I would stop and think about my response before reacting from my emotion-driven, spur of the moment, selfish behavior. What do ya think?

Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Proverbs 12:18

18 comments:

Natalie Joy said...

I had a day like that today. Thanks for a good dose of reality.

P.S. I've been secretly reading you for a few weeks. I LOVE your blog.

Kelly said...

I relate all too well to this smelly situation! Thanks for sharing, Chris--love your posts.

Unknown said...

Yes, and yes. I can relate. I do cause a stink. The next time I am tempted to yell, I will think about how I might respond if there were baby skunks around.

Carol said...

Oh, what a good reminder. I'm thinking I may need a little picture of a skunk posted in a notable position might remind me daily to watch out for my reactions.

Susanne said...

I can so relate and I'm going to try to remember this story. I'm with Carol. I need to find a little pic of a skunk in a spot where I can see often.


P.S. Tagged you for a meme if you want to play.

Darlene Schacht said...

How can something so stinky be so cute? I love the way that you related it to making a stink in life. That's good.

Tina said...

well said Chris.

Cyndi said...

What a great story! I, too, am like that mother. Stirrin' up a stink where there might not have been one Thanks for the great reminder and important principle.

Heth said...

Have you been spying on me? Yeah, I can totally relate to this.

Kim said...

The stinkiness radiates from here,but thankfully does not reside here.

2 Cor 2:14 "But thanks be to God,who always leads us in his triumph in Christ,and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place."

Kim

Donnetta said...

I shudder to think of the "stink" I am sometimes responsible for!

Thanks for the reminder and challenge to be "stink" free! :-)

Katherine@Raising Five said...

So there with you Chris. Tired, preoccupied, in a hurry - I spend far too much of my time in that mode! Thanks for the reminder to slow down, look into their eyes and speak an uplifting word. And thanks for sharing your perspective about school on my blog - means a lot.

Janis Rodgers said...

OOOH. What you have given me to think about today. I relate sooo much to this post. Thanks, Chris! Blessings

Anonymous said...

Oooo. I was a stinky mom yesterday, but His grace won out.

Anonymous said...

Let's just say, my children have heard many times, the words "I'm Sorry" from Mommy.

Christina said...

I found your blog through Kim@LifeSong. This was just what I needed to read today! Sometimes it's good to have a visual cue to remind you of something. The skunk is a good one.

Anonymous said...

I think we can all relate. Thought provoking post. Thank you for dropping by my blog. Please feel free to visit any time.

Unknown said...

Chris--I couldn't stop thinking about this. I linked to you and wrote my own take on Causing a Stink.