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Thursday, September 23, 2010

No more being fake!

A block away from our home is the cutest house ever.
It almost looks like a little cottage out of a storybook and I've always loved the look of it.  
Back in the spring of 2003 the house was put up for sale and my mom, who has also loved it, wanted to see the inside of the home. 
She would call the realtor, but could never get a showing because as soon as there was interest, they would take it off the market. It was so strange. 


Watching the news one summer night explained why the For Sale sign kept getting taken down.
Neighbors had called the health department on the two women that owned the house. 
They were being reported for a smell coming from their home.
City officials responded and quickly removed 78 cats and 2 dogs from the home.  
Seventy-eight felines. 
In a small 2 bedroom cottage on the corner.



Recently I was visiting with my friend who lives next door to the former Cat Group Home and I commented on what a great job the new owners have done with the place. That's when she told me that when they began building their addition and started digging, they found graves of cats in plastic bags.
The health department again was called out and they discovered over 80 buried cats on the property. 
Little did I know all along I was admiring a cat cemetery, not a cottage that could be found in a
 Thomas Kinkaid painting.

My friend said that the new owners had to completely re-gut the house and put all new stuff in to get rid of the smell of the cat urine left behind. The paper reported that Animal control officers could smell the urine while standing 50 feet from their home.
I had never been that close to the house, instead just admiring it from a distance, so I had no idea. 
What my Mom and I thought looked good on the outside was actually unlivable on the inside. 


Don't we get like this sometimes? 
So worried about what the outside looks like that we forget about our heart?
We want to look good from a distance and can easily accomplish that goal.
So many of us can look like we have it all together to the naked eye, and the closer people get, the more they smell our stinking hearts. 
When we allow Jesus to take over, it won't be cats He carries out of our our heart, but instead things like jealousy, anger, pride...and so on.
Jesus wants to re-gut our hearts and fill it up with Himself.


When Jesus is what we're all about, the aroma of Christ will come seeping out of our hearts and our insides will match up with our outside appearance.
All because of our sweet Savior.
My girlfriend Lisa Whittle is much like this. What you see on the outside is what you see on the inside. 
Straight up beauty.
Pure Jesus girl.  
The real deal.
I just went to Lisa's blog so I could link her and read her post The Ugly Truth. Oh my goodness!!
 This is exactly what I'm talking about. Go read it. So worth your time.


Let's pursue Jesus Christ and let Him invade us from the inside out!


Join me next Tuesday for the next Yes to God study of Rachel Olsen's new book, 
It's No Secret front cover
 Get the book and join in anytime!
You don't have to be a blogger to join us.
Discussion of chapter 1 will be 
Tuesday, September 28th
See you here!
Click on the Yes to God FAQ's on the right side of my blog if you have never joined an on-line blog study before. 
And if you read this last post...I hope you are praying for the 3 women with cancer.
Thank you! 

10 comments:

Beth Herring said...

oh what a powerful truth in that post! oh, that the Lord would invade me from the inside out and what i portray is who I am in Him!

Lisa said...

My friend, I love coming here. Honestly, I don't go to blogs much anymore, and I can't remember the last one I commented on. But yours is one I won't stay away from. I don't deserve your kind words, but I appreciate them more than you know. May the authenticity of Jesus Christ drive us both, forever forward. Love you big, my beautiful friend.

Andrea said...

Yes, we worry far to much about what the outside looks like...when in reality it is far more important how our "insides" look.

Hugs,
andrea

Kimberly said...

Wow. I hardly know what to say about all of those cats...living and dead!!!!

It's funny, though, I was just praying yesterday with a friend that when people get close to me that they would get a whiff of Jesus and not of my stinking flesh. Your post must be a tender reminder to me that in order for that to happen, I need to let the Lord carry some stuff out of my heart. And girl...I know there's been some STUFF lately.

You are a treasure. And this is an awesome post.
Much love,
K

2nd Cup of Coffee said...

Love it. New take on white-washed tombs.

Rachel Olsen said...

Oh. My. Gracious.

Great story/analogy though!

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful writing! I love your analogy. so true! We must not be 'white washed sephleucures" or however it is spelled. Jesus sure wants us to be Lights from the inside out! Thanks for your wonderful words you write. He is the Word and His words are life!

dailyseeking said...

Great post and it went along with the sermon this past Sunday on your heart. I'm always aware as I sit perfectly in church, that people may see one thing--but we never really know what is on the inside. We shouldn't go by assumption.

Unknown said...

I agree with the others, terible story but wonderful analogy. There is nothing I want more than for everyone to look at me and know that I am a child of God! Thank you for the "stinky" reminder!

Wander said...

YES! I can surely say....I've taken care of outside and let inside get a little smelly!

Going to read Lisa's post now! Thanks!