Spinach In Her Teeth
Maybe she was attractive. Maybe she was saying something important. We were having a luncheon committee meeting. She was one of the leaders. Bright lady. Very capable. Usually made an important contribution to our luncheon meetings.
But there was a problem. She had a piece of spinach stuck between her two front teeth. That green weed would not move. She had no idea...or at least she did not act like she knew the spinach was hooked in her teeth.
She talked. Her white teeth gleamed...providing a wonderful backdrop for the spinach. There was quietness in the group. Who would tell her? We all hoped the spinach would work loose. It did not. She talked on. We nodded. We refused to look at each other. Time stood still.
The challenge of life is to keep the spinach from hanging in our teeth. While we face challenges and experience failures, the objective is to try and prevent any failure that is like spinach in our teeth. Spinach in our teeth is when we act in ways that are out of character. We do or say something out of context. Others looking or listening to us lose interest in what we are saying because they are obsessed with the "spinach in our teeth."
The wise man likened it to a dead fly in valuable perfume. Give a lady a $500 bottle of perfume. When you hand it to her she is so taken with romance. Then she removes the cap to find a large dead fly lying on top of the perfume. Romance is gone. The gift is disdained. She will never use a drop of the perfume.
Call him by whatever name you like. Say his name was Aragon. He had a good personality. Good worker. Provided well for his home. Went to church. But Aragon had a propensity about every six months to lose his temper. For about five minutes he boiled. Steam came out of his nostrils. Said words not learned in Sunday School. Steam gone, Aragon would apologize profusely. Only problem was that folks got used to his pattern. With every repeat of his anger folks feared him more and trusted him less. It was like the spinach was in his teeth even when he was nice.
Now Sal had a different kind of spinach in his teeth. He would promise and promise, but he never kept his promise. His wife grew weary and left him. His children lost respect for him. But regardless of the misfortunes Sal just seemed to convince himself that his next promise would be believed by others.
Rallie was pretty. She could have turned the eyes of most men. But there was a fly in her perfume. She thought she was prettier than others thought she was pretty. Just messed things up. That ole spinach...
Nona was an intellectual. She moved in a circle of intellectuals. Yet, after a glass of wine she would become so obsessed with herself even her friends did not like to be near her. Spinach...
Will loved to have influence in church. He liked for everyone to think he was on the up and up. Problem was that Will, who made good money, had a habit of spending his money on what he liked and giving his money where others could see his charity. He preferred "splashing" his giving for personal recognition instead of tithing. Will prided himself in his influence but never grasped that he could have been a major player if he had been honest with God and unselfish with others. What he thought was secret was commonly known by others. Spinach in his teeth...
King Saul got a big piece of spinach in his teeth when he decided to take the prophet Samuel's place in offering sacrifice. God and Samuel were unhappy with Saul's pride. Saul never got rid of that spinach...
Esau traded away his place in the Kingdom because of being hungry. One small episode affected his whole life and all his descendants until today. A dead fly got into his soul. His priorities got all upside down. He paid an awful cost.
My hunch is that most of us have had experiences of spinach in our teeth, or a dead fly in our perfume. God's grace is abundant. His mercy is everlasting. The challenge is whether we resolve to correct our course and not repeat the error. Do we take difficult moments and purpose to seek counsel from others and guidance of the Holy Spirit?
Some advocate the School of Hard Knocks as if it is mandatory. God is never pleased with it. We do not have to err to grow in grace. Yet, when we do err grace is sufficient. Our objective in "getting the spinach out of our teeth" is to not repeat the error. As we follow Christ our heart and our will are shaped in His image and character.
Please try to avoid the School of Hard Knocks. And if you find yourself with spinach in your teeth don't delay to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus. He will forgive, restore, refresh you, and remove the spinach from your teeth. "Don't pay twice for the same error," Dr. John Maxwell says.
Pastor Bare
Ecclesiastes 10:1 Dead flies putrefy the perfumer's ointment, and cause it to give off a foul odor; so does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor (NKJ).