Rules

For an analogy Alan Cohen writes concerning the rotting food in his compost container, "That really stinks!" but then adds, "It's supposed to stink....If rotten food wasn't repulsive, we might eat it and get sick. The obnoxious smell is nature's way of keeping us away from what would hurt us."  I would agree with him except this is what my husband keeps well-stocked in our refrigerator....

Aged Stilton and Gorgonzola

...some of the vilest smells I've ever encountered!  But he eats it with no ill effects to him (not my olfactory sensibilities, however).   


There are animals and plants that use malodorous smells as a means of defense like the skunk and Trillium.  (It's a good thing I can't link to smells or I'd provide one right about now.)  But those smells are deterrents.  They won't actually kill their predator.  


Having said all that, however, it does not negate the fact that there are some unpleasant smells that are the result of something that can sicken and/or kill us.  At the same time, not all such foods smell bad.  I've had food poisoning twice in my lifetime where the food tasted perfectly fine and both times I was deathly ill for several hours. 


So, what's the point of my little treatise on bad smells that can or cannot harm you, you're probably asking just about now.  Well, it's this.  There's no formula for keeping safe.  No set of rules to guarantee no harm will come.  Yes, we have lots of very good guidelines.  The Bible is full of them and mankind has formulated even more.  But if we do not take into account extenuating circumstances we could do more harm than the broken rule did.  I see this in raising children, for instance.  Each child is different and misbehavior should be dealt with according to the needs of that particular child or else you might break their spirit not just their will.  

This brings me to Jesus's answer to the question "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"  He said, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.  The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself.  There is no commandment greater than these."  And that is because all the laws that were laid out before this would be automatically fulfilled if we just kept these two:  Love God fully and your neighbor as yourself.  The reason this would be so is because we'd have the Holy Spirit in us to teach us how to deal with life's challenges His way--with love.


Father, help me to be aware of You in me so that my response to life will be with love and not with my own ego.


Link to scripture:  Mark 12:28-34