A LESSON FROM MY DOG

            I was walking my dog the other day and observed that he sticks his nose into everything and anything. A dog learns about its world through its nose. When we go on walks, my dog is constantly sniffing things. He runs his nose through the grass, seeking out interesting smells. He stops at bushes, trees and fence posts to check out the scent left by other dogs. Then he dutifully adds his to the mix. He will also stick his nose into any disgusting pile of refuse that he can find. For a dog, smells are intense or mild, interesting or uninteresting. But there is one thing that is not in their catalogue of smells; good or bad. From my observation, there is no sense of a bad smell for my dog.

            I have been blessed with a very sensitive sense of smell. I can often pick up an aroma long before anyone else in my family becomes aware of it. This is both a blessing and a curse. I cannot go into candle stores or stores with heavy perfume because they overwhelm me. Unlike my dog, I can make a distinction between a smell that is good and one that is bad.  I am not talking about pleasant vs. unpleasant. I’m talking about normal vs. foul. I can take a whiff of the milk carton and know if the milk has gone bad. I can put on a running shirt and know that it is definitely time to throw it in the wash. When I worked in a hospital laboratory, I was trained to determine the presence of disease by the smell of certain bodily fluids.

            Here is my point. Many people would have us believe that we are just the highest form of animal. There is nothing about us that sets us apart as spiritual beings. Therefore, there is really no right or wrong, no higher standard of what is good or bad. For my dog, and all animals, there is no right or wrong, good or bad. There are different intensities of experience, but that is it. For human beings we have an innate sense of right and wrong, good and bad. No one has to teach us this, we know it. We have a spiritual “sense of smell” that helps us determine good from bad. In other words, we have the ability to judge things on a higher level than animals do; on a non-tangible, transcendent level.

            For example, we know that it is good to care for the wounded and the weak. We do this for both humans and animals because we have a sense that it is the right thing to do. In the animal world, the wounded and the weak are at best abandoned and sometimes even attacked and killed by their own kind.

            God has placed within us a sense of morality that is not the product of culture or society. It has its roots in the reality that we have been created in the image of God. In 1 John 4:16, John states that God is love. It is a part of his very essence. Because we were created in God’s image, then we too have the capacity to demonstrate love. God is righteous and just, therefore we have a sense of justice and righteousness. Although love, justice and righteousness may take slightly different forms in different cultures, the foundational principles are the same and come from the same place, God.

            One of the things about our sense of smell is that it quickly fatigues. If a person is exposed to an intense aroma for a period of time, that person’s ability to consciously recognize that smell diminishes. For example, if you were to drive onto a hog farm, you would be confronted with an intense and unpleasant odor. You might wonder how anyone could live and work in those conditions. But the person who does live and work on that farm doesn’t even smell the odor anymore. Their sense of smell has blocked it out. Yet, if you happened to be wearing a strong perfume or aftershave, that person would be able to pick up that new aroma.

            The Bible tells us that it is possible for our spiritual sense of smell to become dull; to the point where we cease to be able to distinguish between good and bad, right and wrong. The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Romans 1:18-23 (NIV)

            The people who provide natural gas to our homes put a particularly potent odor into the odorless natural gas. The reason for this is so that people will recognize when there is a gas leak and they are in danger. If a person ignores this warning sign, it can mean disaster.

            God has placed warning signs in our world to alert us to the spiritual danger all around us. He has given us the truth through Christ and through the Bible. If we will pay attention, then our sense of right and wrong will remain strong. If we ignore these warning signs we are in danger of experiencing spiritual, emotional and physical harm. God has given us a spiritual sense of smell to protect us. We need to pay attention.

            When I am walking my dog I pay attention to what he is putting his nose into. Sometimes he sticks his nose into things that I know are not good for him. He may be tempted to consume whatever his nose has discovered, but in doing so he risks getting sick. So I often have to pull him away from his find. There are many things in our world that can attract us, but if we consume them they will make us sick. We need to trust the one who gave us a sense of right and wrong to guide us in the right way. Sometimes we will feel like he is being unfair, pulling us away from some tantalizing experience. But He knows what is best for us and we need to yield to His direction.

John 8:31-32 (NIV)
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."