THE "PERFUME" OF DEAD FLIES!

Ecc. 10:1 tells us, "As dead flies give perfume a bad smell so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor."


Solomon in Ecclesiastics hit the nail on the head, when he wrote the above comment; perhaps it was from his own experience.  Although he was noted for his wisdom he may have found his wisdom through a remembered experience of his own folly, as we each have had foolish moments ourselves.


We have a God who loves us so much that He overlooks and does not remember our follies--those "dead flies"--and we, then, are called to overlook these things in one another.


Unfortunately, the world holds the church and its individuals responsible for our "dead flies."  We can guess what they are or were--the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Church's apathy during the Holocaust, hypocrisy, Christians who are Christian only on Sunday morning, and much more.  The world sees and remembers the church as flawed, which allows the world to turn away from God without a bad conscience.  So the church's follies often outweigh its goodness and righteousness.


So, too, is it true of individuals.  No matter how good one is or tries to be, a person is remembered by the "little follies" created in carelessness.  The smell of "dead fly" covers up the good and right conveyed by the love of Jesus.


God, May my "dead flies" be seen by those around me with a tolerant eye, and may I remember my own follies and be gracious when the odor is from another.  Help us all to have the tolerance and love that comes from You.  Amen.


I am grateful, reader, that you are part of my life and I wish you a grand day with sweet aromas!


Jo INMN