Skunk Pee

Leave it up to my Millennial to come up with this one.  My daughter is 18 and trying to get used to coffee.  I guess most of us have been there.  It really isn’t appealing at first.  It’s when you realize the caffeine is completely worth it that you try to drink it despite its bite.  Recently my daughter asked to taste some coffee that I had doctored with sugar and vanilla creamer.  Thinking she would enjoy it more this way, I eagerly awaited her response (although I secretly hoped she wouldn’t like it since, generally, it isn’t healthy).  She snarled her nose and said, “Yep, still tastes like skunk pee.”  I burst into laughter.  She may end up being one of those who never acquires a taste for it.  And for now, that’s fine with me.
 
The whole scenario reminded me of toxic people.  You know the ones.  They are the people who have hurt you in some way.  They are the ones who you learn to keep your distance from as much as possible.  They leave a bad taste in your mouth and just plain stink sometimes. 
 
So what do we do about them?  Here’s the lesson I have taught in my home for years… You don’t have to like everyone you meet, but you have to love their soul.  God does, so why shouldn’t we?  You don’t have to invite toxic people over for Sunday lunch or go on your evening stroll with them.  You don’t have to laugh at their jokes at work or be bullied by them.  In fact, distancing yourself from toxicity and surrounding yourself with those who build you up and bring you closer to Christ is healthy.  What I teach in my own home is to pray for the toxic people who inevitably come into our lives and learn from them.  We want to be less like them because we know how they make us feel.  And we want to be more like the people who have a great Spirit and draw us closer to God. 
 
Hoping your day is free of skunk pee,
Celeste
“How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness?  How can light live with darkness?” 
2 Corinthians 6:14
 
 
Happy birthday "baby girl"!  Thank you for inspiring this writing.