Fragrance of Life

The other day a lady from one of the local churches came to sit with Mom, as she left I complimented the fragrance she wore, I didn't recognize that it was the same one my Mom had worn for years. Even this last Christmas we managed to find a bottle for Dad to give her since the department stores no longer carried Jessica McClintock.

Historically Mom was always a sharp dresser who wore just a hint of fragrance. Never overpowering. I remember as a kid when I foraged through the recesses of her purse I'd often find a forgotten pack of gum or a mint. As I unwrapped it I'd catch a whiff of her perfume. It’s a memory that will stay with me forever – sometimes the gum or mint even tasted like perfume.

Mom remembers most of the devotionals she has taught over the years. And periodically she’ll share one with us. She’s had some good ones: The Value of the Second Fiddle, The Value of Salt, Bendable Spendable and Sendable, and one about a Teapot. She used it to illustrate that it is what is on inside that counts most because when we get ‘shook up’ it’s what is on the inside that will spill out of us. I’m also quite sure she also had a message on What Fragrance are you Wearing?

The passage of scripture was taken form 2 Corinthians 2:14-15 – “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved…”

I’ve thought of this verse often as of late since many days have been filled with stressful challenges. I'm probably writing this more as a reminder to myself. There have been days when we’ve all had some ‘stinking thinking.’ It makes me think of perfume that has gone rancid as it sat unused in a bottle for too long. The secret of keeping the fragrance of Christ in our life is to keep it fresh. To be filled daily with a sense of His presence – to praise Him for He inhabits our praise. When we start our morning with Him he pours Himself out through us. It is only in Him that our lives are a pleasing aroma.