An aroma of death clouded the fridge this week. I put off investigating. It might just be the ripe Brie. Should I look behind the fridge? Such a nuisance!
Our fridge is wedged into a space which makes it hard to pull out. And then there is the need to remove the heavy items before moving it. Plus, it may scratch the floor. No, moving the fridge is a last resort.
However, the aroma persisted and became more pungent. My son helped me, and the fridge was removed from its slot. And what was revealed? The picture says it all. One dead mouse.
It reminds me that Christian relationships are not about the face, but the heart. The outside interests us far less than the inside. Perhaps this is what is behind Peter’s exhortation:
“Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.” (1 Peter 1:22 NIV11-GK)
If we are going to love from the heart it means we are interested in the heart, and in connecting our hearts one to another. This cannot be done without depth. It means looking behind the fridge. Is there an aroma of death around a friend? Rather than ignore it, or be put off by the effort, why not ask a few questions, and offer a listening ear.
You may be surprised by what you find, but what you find – you find. It is already there, and anything unsavoury, if brought into the light, can be removed, repented of and cleaned up by the love of Christ. Christian relationships are characterised by joy, but it is a deep joy brought about by knowing we are known and that we know one another deeply.
Look behind the fridge.
Malcolm Cox