Dirty Diaper Call Out

The conversation left me rattled. The lady in the store had been rude. Out-of-line. Then she turned and left. No rebuttal for me. Or killin’ her with kindness. Just me, a cartful of groceries, a few grumbles, and a grudge.

“Mom, you have a face,” Gabe said as we trudged to the car.

“Of course I have a face.”

“No, a scrunched one. A mad one.”

Oh. Probably so. I was mad.

Ten minutes later, I must’ve still had the face, because Gabe called me on it. Again. But this time he spoke of diapers. Dirty ones.

“Mom, do you have diapers? In your backpack?”

After many years, we were a diaper-free family. No diapers. No backpack.

“What?”

“You know. The man from the story. With the gross, gross diapers .” He giggled.

Then I remembered. Gabe was talking about a devotion we’d read a few days before.

In “Forgiveness and Dirty Diapers” by Bob Schultz, an old man was unwilling to forgive offenses. The hurts were soiled diapers, organized and stored in a smelly warehouse. His favorite offenses were stuffed in his backpack, so he was never far away from sin’s sickening stench. No matter whom he ran into, the man could recall that person’s dirty rag. People started to steer away from the guy. He reeked. But he still held the grime in tight fists.

Pretty gross. Powerful gross. But there’s also a powerful lesson. About forgiveness. And Gabe had called me out.

I was carrying a rude, stinky diaper. If I continued to hold it, I would only be hurt. I’d start to stink. In fact, I already had. Sour face. Smelly thoughts. Soiled attitude.

“Gabe, I remember that story. And you’re right. I’m mad at the lady in the store. Will you pray with me? To ask God to help me forgive her?”

Discovering a dirty diaper isn’t a pleasant thing. And it’s very humbling to be “sniffed out”. But I’m glad that I can call on the Lord’s good grace. Praise God! It’s sufficient.

For me.

And the diapers in my backpack, too.

Some of the best books I’ve read on godly character for boys were written by Bob Schultz. They’re loaded with practical wisdom, Scripture, and engaging stories to encourage boys to become the men God wants them to be. Titles include: Boyhood and Beyond, Created for Work, and Practical Happiness.