Fragrance

Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of one’s friend springs from his earnest counsel. ~Proverbs 27:9

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. ~2 Corinthians 2:14-16

The other day, our granddaughter came in from outside and said, “It’s starting to smell like Winter.” When you think about it, each season does have its own unique smells. I think that Spring is the Du Bois favorite. The lilacs and fruit blossoms can be so powerful, but so appreciated as they drift along on the breeze.

Smells can be an important warning signal to us before we can see a danger. Smoke, mildew and mold are all usually detected by the nose first, prompting further investigation. Fortunately, those smells are also unpleasant, warning our bodies early of eminent danger if we aren’t careful.

Pleasant smells, on the other hand, encourage us to keep going so that we can find the source and enjoy it even more. Dinner usually smells great, unless it burns. Living down wind of a certain fast food restaurant in town, can be unpleasant when the fries burn.

We do a lot of living through our nose. We just don’t think about it much. A friend’s wise council is like sweet perfume. A friend cares enough to be honest, to warn us away from danger or encourage us on good paths. We are blessed when we have an earthly friend who can be such sweet perfume to us. We also need to be that sweet perfume to the decaying world around us.

When we read about Jesus; burial, after the crucifixion, we read about 75 pounds of spices used as part of His burial wrapping. The spices were used to counter the smell of decay that would have occurred at the death of a regular human. Of course, praise the Lord, Jesus’ was not a typical burial. Decay couldn’t even touch Him and rising in three days, the spices weren’t needed.

Instead, He brought the sweet smell of resurrection to counter the decay of the world. That’s the sweet smell that we are charged to carry on today to those around us. “We are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.”

I’m reminded of the episode in the book, “The Last Battle,” from C. S. Lewis’s “Chronicles of Narnia,” with the dwarves. They are sitting just inside the door of heaven, in a circle, unwilling to believe, or even see, where they really are. They think that they are in a filthy stable, in the dark. To try to convince them otherwise, one of the girls picks some flowers and thrusts them under their noses, but instead of smelling the sweet fragrance of the flowers, they think that they are smelling manure! So, what makes the difference? The difference is based on where their hope lies.

Those who cling to the success that this world offers will be disappointed because all that the world offers will eventually decay. If their nose is buried in those things, and they refuse to see any differently, decay is what they will smell because it will become all that they expect to smell. They don’t like the smell of the hope of Christ because it is like death to them.

However, to those who can lift their noses out of the decay, and smell the aroma of Christ, above, as it wafts from us to them, they will be encouraged to press on toward the source of that sweet smelling perfume for themselves so that they can enjoy it, enjoy Him even more fully. What we offer, as we offer Christ, is the sweet perfume of the best friend that they will ever have.

We already know that His council and wisdom are a pleasant fragrance. Sharing Him with another is like sharing a bouquet of flowers that will never fade away. To those who don’t want it, it may smell like death, flowers are usually part of a funeral décor. But to those who appreciate it, it represents life and celebration. It’s interesting that flowers can be present for occasions of life and death. It’s how they are applied that makes the difference. So, it must be with Christ. To those who believe in Him, He is life and the way to heaven. To those who reject Him, He will be judge.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, help me to spread your fragrance everywhere that I go. Flood my soul with your spirit and your love. Penetrate and possess my being utterly that all my life may only be a radiance of you. Shine through me and be in me so that every soul I come in contact with may feel Your presence in my soul. In Your name, amen.

Song: The Fragrance Prayer