Dead Skunks

I remember a sight which confronted me on the way to Amelia earlier this summer. It reminded me of a wonderful, insightful piece of classical poetry by Loudon Wainwright that he wrote for a novelty song in 1972: "There's a dead skunk in the middle of the road, stinking to high heaven."

There he lay, curled up in the middle of Rt.360, the afternoon breeze ruffling his fur. Like the cars behind and ahead of me, I whizzed on by, rolling my windows up a little higher and tighter. Still, I felt a pang of conscience even as my nostrils felt the mind-buzzing twang of odor (Believe me, it was enough to make my teeth sweat!). Perhaps a brief Hamlet-like, skunk eulogy was in order. "Alas, poor Yorick, I knew him well."

After all, skunks aren't such bad animals. They eat mice, rats, and a whole lot of pesky bugs. Also they have, for obvious reasons, virtually no enemies. As for their malodorous musk, they only spray when they are in danger, and they always give a warning by growling and stamping their forefeet. This useful, peaceful, and polite little animal, now was unmourned buzzard-bait.

Why so much sentiment, a couple of months later, for Pepe la Pew?

Well, I have been called a skunk a few times in my life. Sometimes out of camaraderie, ocasionally due to my hygiene (or lack of it!), and sometimes, even, by reason of my theology. You see, if life teaches us anything, it is that there is always someone around ready to call us names!

The thing to remember, then, is that most of the names we will be called, contain a seed of a compliment. We can truly believe these compliments, since the person who gave them meant to insult us, not flatter us. The cynics of Antioch branded the followers of Jesus Christ as "Christians" (Acts 11:26). What began as a term of derision, a slur by the enemies of Jesus Christ, has become our badge of honor!

So, hold your head up, and don't fear the name-callers! The next time that you run across what looks (or smells) like a skunk, four-legged or two-legged, remember this: all of God's creatures have a purpose, and yours may be to show the love of Jesus Christ to those that raise a stink and seem to be the least useful! It really does take God working on us, in us, and through us to love some people; Amen?

Aromatically Yours,
Pastor David Blevins