Giving God Our Stink

Baking cookies with my youngest nieces - Jilliyah and Tristynn

 I relaxed comfortably on my mom’s purple sofa and exhaled. This was the kind of exhale you earn - a long deep exhale.

For the past several hours, my mother and I had been on full-duty auntie and grandma mode, entertaining my nieces—ages two and six—who were visiting St. Louis for the holidays. We baked cookies. Colored pages of Elsa and other Disney characters. The girls ran laps indoors at a restaurant with a play area, and I hauled children in and out of the freezing cold like it was a fitness challenge.

Now, peace at last.

The oldest was watching a Christmas movie while also somehow playing on her tablet at the same time. The youngest, Baby Jill sat quietly scribbling in her brand-new coloring book. I scrolled Instagram, completely horizontal.

And then…something stunk.

Every few minutes, the smell would rise up and gently—but persistently—assault my nostrils.

“What is that smell?” I wondered aloud.

My eyes slowly drifted to the two-year-old… who had suddenly become very quiet. And very still.

Earlier that day, her mother, my sister-in-law, had explained almost apologetically that Jill  wasn’t fully potty trained. She used the toilet at daycare, but at home and on weekends she preferred her pull-up.

Since I’ve never birthed or potty-trained a child, I stayed in my auntie lane and passed zero judgment. Still, throughout the day I’d persistently asked,

 “Jill, do you have to go potty?” “Jill, do you have to go poop?”

Each time she said a sharp no and skipped off to play.

Now, as the smell grew undeniable, I narrowed my eyes.

“Baby Jill… did you poop?”

If I had x-ray vision, I’m convinced I would’ve seen cartoon stink lines floating up from her tiny backside.

The evidence was clear. 

Baby Jill - a cute, little stinker

The odor was pungent.

 But the confession was not coming.

She wasn’t ready to admit she was the source of the stink.

Maybe it was fear. Maybe embarrassment. Maybe shame. But one thing was certain: she was not ready to confess her mess—even though confession was the very thing that would lead to getting clean.

And that’s when the Lord gently tapped my heart and said, Kacie, you do this too.

Don’t we all?

Have you ever found yourself in a mess—yet worked overtime pretending everything was fine?

Maybe you overspent during the holidays and didn’t budget well, but instead of being honest, you tried to fix it quietly. Borrowed a little. Applied for a credit card, and told yourself you’d “figure it out.”

Or maybe you told a lie… and then another one… just to protect the first.

Sometimes we can be incredibly skilled at creating deep, stinky messes—and then acting surprised by the smell.

But unlike my two-year-old niece, we are adults. And we don’t have to hide. We don’t have to deny. We don’t have to sit in our stink pretending it doesn’t exist.

God invites us to come to Him exactly as we are—messy diaper and all.

Recently, God used that very stinky pull-up to confront me about something in my own life. 

Years ago, someone gifted me money for a specific purpose. I intended to use it correctly… but I didn’t steward it well. I pulled from it here and there—gas, groceries, little things—fully planning to “replace it later.”

But later came… and the money was gone.

Years passed, and suddenly my poor stewardship showed up again—loud and smelly—and now it affected my husband too. I wanted to pretend it never happened. I wanted to fix it quietly. I wanted to avoid the embarrassment.

But the stink wouldn’t let me.

Like my niece, I felt shame. Fear and wanting to hide.

Yet the Holy Spirit kept whispering, Come to Me. Don’t run. Let Me clean this.

This wasn’t the moment to isolate, self-fix, or deny. This was the moment to bring my mess straight to God.

Scripture tells us:

“He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.” —Psalm 40:2 (KJV)

God does not make fun of our mess. He is not shocked by our sin and He  is not offended by the funky odor. 

Tristynn reminds me to relax and remain in God's presence. There is peace in God's presence. Doesn't she just look so content?

Instead God  lifts us out of the pit. He washes us clean and He teaches us how to walk differently next time.

So if you find yourself tempted to hide, isolate, or pretend your stink doesn’t stink—may I lovingly encourage you: run to God.

Don’t wait until you’re cleaned up. Don’t wait until you’ve figured it out. Don’t wait until you’re less embarrassed. Run to Him now. This is what I am committed to doing. I’m learning again and again that God is gentle. God is gracious and He is very good at cleaning our stink (and I’m grateful!)

Hi, my name is Kacie Starr Long. I am an author, and speaker and I love to use my voice to point people to Jesus. When I'm not writing, I'm either hanging out with my husband or sewing. God delivered me from food addiction and I have a sewing ministry, called the Sew Hope Community Sewing Room. I am the proud wife of Alfred T. Long, Sr and together we lead a non-profit that serves prisoners and their families. Connect with me at www.InspiredOverflow.com and via my YouTube page for Christian teachings and encouragement.