Phew! That Stinks!

  A few days ago my oldest son was doing his chores when I heard him say, "Phew! That stinks!" Then, our house quickly filled with most horrific smell. It was seriously so terrible that my kids were gagging! He had just started our Rainbow vacuum cleaner. (Rainbows use a water filtration station instead of vacuum bags) I immediately thought he hadn't put any water in the canister but when I asked him, he said, "It does have water in it." Then he added, "I actually never emptied it from last time."

I jumped up from my seat and rushed over. I yelled, "You didn't empty it last week?" The smell almost knocked me down! "Why not? You have to empty it every time!" 

We emptied the canister with the week old nasty water. It smelled absolutely horrible. I scrubbed the canister and put new water in but when he started the vacuum again, it still stunk. I lit several candles around the house just to cover up the smell a little bit but it took hours for the smell to vanish.

When we discussed the ordeal later, it was clear that he had learned a lesson. We've been talking with him for months about not doing things "half-way." He's often trying to get things done quickly instead of doing things well. This stinky mishap proved that "half-way" doesn't get the job done.

I've thought about that awful smell a lot over the past few days. God has reminded me that this is a lesson that applies to so many things in life. When we do things with the wrong motives or fail to follow through with the entire task, we can really mess things up. When we rush through things or put ourselves first, we can really blow it. 

My son's decision to do things "half-way," affected our entire family for hours. The same thing happens in day to day life. When we don't do things well or completely, the consequences often affect those around us too. 

Today I am grateful for the lesson my son learned and for the reminder it provided for me. Colossians 3:23 says, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as if working for the Lord, not for human masters." Our stinky experience reinforced the importance of teaching my kids the meaning of this verse. Doing things as if doing them for the Lord will ensure we complete tasks and do them to the best of our ability, which will always be best for us and those around us too.

The next time you're tempted do something "half-way," remember my family's terrible, no good, stinky day. Not working with all of your heart could quite possibly stink things up for yourself and others.