April 9. Roses, Gelatin, And Skunks: Which Do You Prefer?

What is the purpose of your organization? I remember hearing that Bill Gates purpose was to put a computer in every home. I do not personally know Bill Gates, but it sounds reasonable. I have heard that McDonalds purpose is to have everyone in some areas of the world to be within four miles of a restaurant.

That is a very clear purpose that permeates their marketplaces. Their purpose is so clearly known that it can deeply be shared with their team members and the market. The purpose fills the internal and external members minds like smoke can fill a room. Think about how a scented candle saturates the room that it burns in.

There is no getting away from it. If you step into the area the smell is going to be there. When we have this level of clarity about the purpose of our team, they can really become powerful to provide value. If the purpose is designed to be destructive it can be devastating as well.

But when we do not have clarity, we might think of fifteen scented candles of different varieties burning in the same room. What smell would you encounter? It would be a mixture of aromas that would not be discernible, and I expect that it would not be very pleasant.

The smells would be lost in all the confusion. We can apply this concept of fifteen aromas to our daily walk. How many distractions will we encounter today? It might be worthwhile to reduce the number of candles you are burning. Does your purpose of the organization you belong to include growing your people?

If your purpose were to include growing people, how attractive would it be to the marketplace of employee’s and future team members? I like that smell and I bet employees and team members would find it attractive also.

I read a scripture and saw a word that resonated with me. The word was permeate in the passage from Luke 13:20-21. The idea that heaven can permeate through every part of our lives is a big idea.

Why do we keep heaven out of our business dealings, our checking accounts, or on the hi way when others cut us off in traffic? We allow the aromas of life and sin to distract us and when it happens life can stink. Sometimes we choose or allow others to choose the aroma of gelatin for ourselves.

There is no smell, no aroma which is like having no love and no joy in our lives. I do not object to eating gelatin, but I never choose it for the aroma because it does not have any. It is a choice though. Heaven can permeate our lives like the scent of a candle if we allow it.

It requires us to be inspired to do it though. We have a choice. We can choose to find God in everything. The yeast permeates the entire batch of dough, and it does not have a choice. The baker simply mixes it in, and the chemical reaction of the natural world takes over.

I refuse to believe that God’s design of the world requires me to keep heaven and the love that permeates it away from my every minute of existence. I think of that skunk that lies on the roadway. Will I choose to run through the remains and live with the smell into the future or will I choose to adjust my route?

We make a choice of what we will give our attention to. On this day, will we choose to allow more of heaven’s love to be part of our day or will we decide on something else. I vote for the smell of heaven over that of gelatin or that of the skunk. Choose wisely today.

Let us pray, Heavenly Father, your grace is always enough. Help us to see through the lens that shows love and not hate. Remove our blinders that hide us from either of the two. Empower us to live fully in you and not only in the smell of the world. Guide us Lord. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.