What's That Smell?
Years ago I heard a story about limburger cheese that I've never forgotten. I've never tried this kind of cheese but the way I've heard it described it smells like really dirty socks. Anyway, as the story was told, Grandpa was sleeping in his favorite recliner in the living room when his grandkids decided to play a little trick on him. While he was asleep the kids took a little piece of limburger cheese and wedged it in his bushy mustache.
When he woke up, Grandpa sniffed and said, 'this living room stinks'. He got up and walked into the kitchen and said with a little more emphasis, 'this kitchen stinks!' Finally, Grandpa walked outside the house onto the front porch, took a deep breath, and exclaimed with his fists in the air, 'the whole world stinks!!'
Everywhere he went, it smelled awful because Grandpa was carrying the offending source of the terrible smell with him! Are we guilty of doing that same thing ourselves at times? We're not hauling limburger cheese around. Bad attitudes and hard feelings toward others around us will cast a shadow over everything and everyone. Allowed to hang out indefinitely those attitudes and offenses can really stink up our world!
Proverbs 4:23 (NCV) tells us to "be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life." It's dangerous to give our thoughts free reign. Positive attitudes and giving grace to those who have offended us doesn't just happen. We have to choose good thoughts. And we need to decide to keep short accounts with others. When we do, we'll find that the atmosphere around us is different. Kinder. Sweeter. So take care of what you think...and your thoughts will lead you into a better day!
Read more devotions written by Denise Harper at Treasured Inside
https://deniseharper.blog
