Last night at Bible study (in the midst of Beth Moore’s Breaking Free series),  we studied about how the Lord will never waste a hurt.  The topic was Beauty from Ashes. We learned how we must also submit and cooperate with what he is doing to receive the blessing of what he wants to bring out of “the fire”.  We even learned that God can and will bring something positive out of every “icky” situation.  Well, I got one for you…can’t wait to see if beauty can be propagated out of this one.  First: a little background for you!

Each week, I make a little snack of some sort for the ladies at the Bible study to munch on.  As of 4pm I had no idea what I was going to make…so I decided I would make deviled eggs, as they are quick and easy and I had 5 dozen farm fresh eggs in the fridge (can you tell I like eggs?)  Of course, deviled eggs don’t always smell wonderful…but that is to be expected and doesn’t bother me.  I went and picked up a friend so we could carpool down to the church and made a joke about the smell in the car…promised her it was not a gaseous bodily emission, but rather our snack for the night (she must have thought…”oh goody!”).  So anyway, making a long story even longer…we went down to the church and had our Bible study which lasted about two hours.  As my friend and I left (a few eggs remaining), we loaded everything (including the eggs) into the car and began to drive home.  As soon as I started the car I thought…what is that smell??  It was awful.  I was rather sure it was not the eggs, as it was not sulfuric in nature…but shrugged it off and thought hopefully I was imagining it.  I wondered all the way to my friends house if she noticed it too…but didn’t say anything….still hoping it was the eggs.  And by the way…my car is not exactly known for being clean on the interior.  My other thought was, “what have the kids left to rot and ferment in the back seat now?”  I suppose it could be an old nasty milk cup, rotten apple, banana or even a decomposing McDonald’s chicken nugget or French fry.  Any of these things would be succinct possibilities, all very reasonable and fathomable.  I was just sure it was not my deviled eggs!

So I got home, went about my evening and concluded the rest of the day.  No big deal!  Next morning…I go out to the car to warm it up for the ride to school and am hit in the face by a smell I know all too well!  Are you kidding me? It was TOM CAT URINE!!!  I kid you not.  So I begin thinking how in the world did a cat pee in my car?  Did one sneak in while the car was at the church when I had the hatch open to make trips to unload materials?  I sniffed about trying to find the point of maximum intensity.  That is when I realize this disgusting and most offensive odor is emanating from my heater vents! NO! This can’t be!  I get out and smell the vents that are at the bottom of the windshield and sure enough…there it is.  A tom cat has peed on my windshield and hood and it has drained down and gotten into the heater whatchamacallit.  Not good!

Next I open up a fresh car deodorizer, and instead of just letting it peak out of the wrapper, I rip the whole wrapper off, desperate to cover this odious odor!  Now my car smells like cinnamon, apples and tomcat urine.  Really not good!

So now I have to keep the heater off until I can devise a better plan.  Problem: it is 28 degrees out!  Not funny!  So I turn on the heater (because I really have to) and open the windows and off to school we go.  Next trip…to the dollar store.  They carry an amazing product that works ten times better than Nature’s Miracle or any of the other pet urine odor neutralizers.  I bought 15 liters of it (can you sense my desperation?)  I poured the first liter over where I can see the urine had drained…now the moment I have been dreading…I have to turn the heater back on and let it do its magic.  Well, that product is amazing, and I would say in the 20 mile drive home that 80-90% of the urine odor was gone.  But I am prepared with another 14 liters if I smell even a trace of that hideous sent!

In my opinion, there is only one smell worse than tomcat urine (that being anal gland secretions).  And yes, you actually can tell the difference in smell from female or neutered male urine and tomcat urine.  When we have a tomcat hospitalized, the entire hospital will reek of it, no matter what we do…

So putting this together with my lesson last night…that God can bring good out of EVERY yucky situation if I cooperate with Him….what am I to do with this. I do believe this principal applies to every situation, even the little ones…so what can I expect from this?  Well, I will remain open minded and report back when I see how God takes tomcat urine and turns it into roses.   I know nothing is too hard for God, but this ought to be interesting! 

Hope your day is filled with pleasant thoughts, ideas and odors!