I was driving home from the lake when I saw a skunk whose white stripe was in perfect alignment with the white stripe on the side of the road. It was as if the highway department painted him in place. I did not assume he was using it as camouflage. I did not assume he was sleeping. I assumed it was his last resting place. I was certain he would reek. I have passed lots of dead skunks and just the sight of him jolted my nasal passages into a Pavlovian response. It was as if all the past skunks had little footholds in my sinuses. My body was warning me to stay away from this skunk.
I really wanted to take a picture. I thought it looked interesting. I was teaching my photo editing course and felt like I could highlight some focus issues and contrast issues with this image. I hesitated. Did I want to face the smell? Did I want to miss the picture? I have many regrets for seeing something that would make an interesting picture, but in my haste or preoccupation or just laziness not stopping to capture the image. I have tried recently to listen to my inner voice. I stop more frequently now. The stench or the regret?
I passed the carcass and pulled my truck off the road. I took a deep breath, popped open my door and hurried toward the scene of the crime. I waited as long as I could. Then an unwelcome thought flooded my mind. My breath holding strategy was going to betray me. I was about to gulp down air. My lungs popped and my mouth opened. Nothing. There was no smell at all. I got really close. There was hardly any wind. There was just no odor. I took my pictures and headed back to my awaiting vehicle.
I have thought about my little skunk teacher. Sometimes our experience so dominates our minds that we have almost no ability to come fresh to a situation. I was so sure about what I was facing, that I almost did not listen to myself. I was so ready to believe the worst that I almost missed the moment. Negative Interpretation is what it is called. In human relationships, “negative interpretation” is when one person believes that the intentions of another are more negative than they really are. If the feelings are deep enough, they “may somehow justify ongoing anger, resentment and aggression through criticism or disrespect” ("A Lasting Promise" Scott Stanley). Caution is a good thing. It protects us. A closed mind and heart is a bad thing, because they blind us.
Jesus was around a lot of people who were so certain that Jesus was a troublemaker, that they destroyed him. I think he would have a hard time if he showed up today. I think people would think the same things about him. They would blame him. They would try to ignore his challenges to their set patterns. What they would not realize is they are the ones giving off the stench of death while he exudes the aroma of love. Jesus is asking us to open ourselves to change and to the renewal of the mind.