Our cat died a few years ago. No need to offer me any condolences—she lived a long and happy life once we rescued her from the side of a country road.
We’ve lived in our current townhouse for almost twelve years now, and there’s still evidence of our cat here: carpet torn up on the corner of our stairs and, most noticeably, a smell in our entryway. That’s where we had her litter box, on the bottom floor of our tri-level.
In her last year of life, she would often miss the target and I had to be quick to clean up the puddles behind the litter box. What I didn’t realize was that our baseboard had absorbed much of the mess.
It’s been a source of embarrassment for me that the first thing you notice when you come in our front door is a strange smell. Some days were worse than others, and I kept a bottle of Febreze nearby when I knew company was coming.
This summer, my husband decided to tackle the problem directly and cut out the offending baseboard. For a few days, we had a rectangular hole in the wall and a box fan running to dry out the area. But then—oh happy day! The smell was completely gone. He closed up the hole with a brand new baseboard and now I can breathe deeply when I open my own front door.
It’s clear to me which strategy was more effective: all I did was try and cover up the smell, whereas my husband tackled the root of the problem. His way may have been more work, but it was a much better solution.
When Jesus came, it wasn’t to put a band-aid on things, it was a drastic measure to restore our relationship with God by addressing the root of the problem.
God had made it clear, through the words of Moses, how to live as God’s people:
“See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. (…) Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him, for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the Lord swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” (Deuteronomy 30:15, 19-20 NRSV)
So often, we try to “choose life” on our own, believing that self-improvement, accomplishments, material gain, and success will lead to that hashtag-blessed life. We fill our emptiness with more stuff and chase the world’s definition of meaning and purpose. And when it doesn’t work, we just spray more Febreze—convincing others and ourselves that what is seen on the surface is the whole story.
Only Jesus is the one who leads us back to the heart of the Father, who offers us abundant life. Knowing God, loving God, and walking in God’s ways is the key to living the life we were meant to live. Not a life free from any pain or sorrow, but a life spent in the fullness of the presence of God.
This is not a quick-fix solution: knowing and loving God and walking in God’s ways takes time and effort. It requires of us a daily decision to spend time with God in prayer and to focus our attention on God’s revelation to us, whether in the words of scripture, in nature, in music, or in any of the myriad ways God speaks to us. It involves holding fast to God in trust when we are uncertain, when we have no answers, when our understanding falls short.
This is the long, slow, rewarding work of pursuing our highest calling.
Liked this post? Please share it! And if you’re interested in growing in your faith as a busy woman, subscribe to get The Scoop, my twice a month newsletter filled with helpful links to the best posts and podcasts to encourage you in your journey of faith! As a thank you, you’ll get access to ALL my resources in the Free for You library: breath prayers, free e-books, and more!
This post first appeared on my Substack newsletter, The Scoop. Want more encouragement delivered straight to your inbox? When you subscribe, you’ll get The Scoop twice a month—packed with the best posts, podcast recommendations, and resources to help you grow your faith as a busy woman. Plus, as a thank-you, you’ll get instant access to my entire Freebie Library: breath prayers, free e-books, and more! Subscribe here.
Sarah K. Butterfield 