Pug was a mutt! The only way he could be considered a pure-breed is if the CKC suddenly had a category for Heinz 57. Pug’s mother was a mutt and his father was a traveling man. Pug was quite happy in his mutt-ish state and his owner loved him very much – but he was STILL a mutt!

Pug lived on a farm high up on the cap rock in West Texas. In the winter the wind blew – COLD, in the spring and fall the wind blew – COOL and in the summer the wind blew – HOT. Like Pug the wind was consistent – it always blew, while Pug was consistently a mutt.

One day Pug came home for his dinner but there was something different about him – uh oh! What is that smell? Whatever Pug had been into was the ultimate in bad smells, or at least that is what his owners thought at the time. Pug had to have a bath before he could go indoors and for a day or so things were ok in the ‘smelly’ department, but then — Pug came home, again, smelling even worse (if that was possible) than he had before. What was he getting into? The man of the family discovered the answer to the mystery. He happened upon Pug in the midst of his indiscretion and went to investigate.

Behind the barn on the adjoining farm was a V-E-R-Y D-E-A-D goat! Now you may think that a Billy goat smells bad but I promise you he smells worse when he is dead and the ultimate in stink is reached when he is VERY DEAD! Pug was having the time of his life rolling around on that goat. No wonder he was not socially acceptable to the humans in his life.

The dead goat was disposed of, Pug had another bath and life went on uneventfully for a time. Then one day, Pug moved off the farm with his family and into a house a few miles away. Oh, goody! New worlds to explore and here came Pug dragging home a very dead chicken. No he didn’t kill the chicken but he did bring it home. P-e-e-u-u-u! He was relieved of his chicken, the smell went away, and things went back to normal, until Pug found STILL ANOTHER very dead chicken. What is it with you, Pug? Why do you seek out all these stinky things?

Pug reminds me of us humans. We are born clean and sinless – into a good life. We go to church, make friends, and then we fall into the stink of sin. Maybe the problem is drugs or alcohol, maybe it is taking things that don’t belong to us or being untruthful – whatever it is, our sin is a real STINK to our God. Sometimes we try – in our own power – to clean ourselves up but Satan brings those temptations to us and back we go, rolling in the dead goat of sin – AGAIN.

Isaiah 64:6-9 GNB, Tells us, “All of us are unclean and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags. We’re drying up like fallen leaves, and our sins are blowing us away. … But you are our Father, Lord. You are the potter and we are the clay. We are the work of your hands. Lord don’t be angry with us, or hold our sins against us forever. Please, look down on us and help us, for we are still your people.”

And there is hope for us. God has given us a way out. “Sprinkle me with hyssop dipped in blood, and I will be clean. Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let joy and gladness bubble up from within me. … Turn away from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new, right spirit with in me.” (Psalm 51:7-10 GNB)

There you have it my friends. Unlike Pug who just kept getting dirty and smelly, God will cover our sins, give us a clean heart and – if we ask Him in, he will live in our hearts.

Wynona Gordon