Growing Up

Why do our children have to grow up? I know that it is God's plan or He wouldn't have made them that way. Sometimes it's just hard to watch! Then again other times and situations you just might welcome it! I have a daughter who threatened me if I blogged about her newest accomplishment in growing up. So I won't mention any names.

What is it that makes kids stink? I never really noticed it until recently, but sometimes kids just smell bad! Beth always warned me that I would say that if I ever had a boy, but Hazin isn't quite old enough yet. He still has baby smells. He doesn't smell like a dirty little boy yet. But I'm finding that girls stink too! I mean down right body funk!

On our way home from Tulsa, one of our girls whose name I cannot use, lifted her arms and we about killed over! We wanted to roll down the windows to escape the smell. We decided on that 5 hour trip that it may be time to start allowing this child to shave her unnamed under-pits. (Grace coined that word at our house. It's a combination of under-arms and arm-pits: under-pits.)

Oh, the dread over my babies growing up. Yes, the growing pains are there, but I believe in this case, they will be worth it. As everyone knows, the less hair you have under your arms, the less stench they give off. Yes, we have taught the necessity of deodorant and antiperspirant, but for some reason only God himself can explain, it just wasn't working. Now maybe we will have relief!

This whole story reminds me of when I was a child. Our family was traveling together and my oldest sister, Lisa, took her shoes off and they smelled so badly Daddy wanted to put them in the back end of the pickup. I don't remember if he actually pulled over and did so, but I remember the drama surrounding the smell.

Which brings me to a point. Am I ignoring areas in my life that are causing a stench in my Abba's nose? What areas do I need to have washed and cleansed with the blood from Calvary? I know we all have areas. You know I'm not talking about your armpits! How about in that closet of personal space you refuse to let the Lord deal with? What are you ignoring that God has asked you to clean up? I've got mine...more than one. Right now, I'm working on anxiety and fear among other things. No, it's not easy, but I want my life to be a fragrant offering to the Lord. (The good kind of fragrance!) I pray when He leans close to tell me He loves me that He doesn't hold his breath because of something I refuse to hand over to Him that is rotting in my soul causing a stench to His nose!

Abba, I know this is a place that I need to work on more. I know You can see my heart and the desire there to be pure before You with no unrighteous thing between us. If I am overlooking areas where I need to clean up or allow You to clean up for me, please bring them to my attention. Like a hightliter marks a page, mark my life and show me how to be holy before You.