Hurt But Not Held Back预览

Step 1 - Use an odor eliminator. 

My sweet son decided to make microwave popcorn one day. Unfortunately, he blew past that very thin line between perfect popcorn and a burned mess. Not only was his snack ruined, but the whole house smelled horrible. He unsuccessfully tried to fix the stench by spraying air freshener. The house just smelled like flowery, burned popcorn. Yuck!

Instead of getting rid of a bad odor, air freshener simply tries to cover it up but often magnifies it. An odor eliminator is different; it doesn’t mask the smell or add to it. An odor eliminator completely absorbs the smell and removes it. 

Many times we may try to use an “air freshener” in our lives to mask the smell of smoke. We feel disappointment, hurt, fear, and anger. Instead of eliminating those negative emotions, we cover them up. We slap on a happy face, and we “fake it ‘til we make it.” We may look good on the outside, yet on the inside we are a mess. Yes, sometimes we need to walk by faith, not by sight, and move forward even when we don’t feel like it. We can’t keep that up for very long, though. Unless we let God work on our inside to get to the root of the issue, the smell of smoke will eventually overtake and consume us.

Thankfully, we have the ultimate odor eliminator readily available to us. The Bible says in 1 Peter 5:7, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” 

In order to eliminate the smell of smoke from our lives, we have to allow God to absorb those things we worry or fret about - those feelings which are keeping us overwhelmed, hurt, or angry.

Giving our cares to God doesn’t mean we give them to Him then take them back at the first opportunity. We have to let go completely and trust them to our Heavenly Father. Philippians 4:6-7 shows us how: 

1. Don’t worry about anything.

2. Pray about everything.

3. Tell God what you need.

4. Thank Him for all He has done.

When we follow those actions, the peace of God shows up. His peace takes up residence in our hearts and minds and eliminates even the most stubborn smell of smoke from our lives.