What's That Smell?

Shakespeare once said that "parting is such sweet sorrow."

Anyone with college-age children experiences this sweet sorrow often. They come home for a few days, a spring break, or a summer, and they are off again. Every time they leave, they take a part of us with them.

On this morning, I embraced my daughter tightly, for too long perhaps, by her estimation. With no regrets, I braved her "Aw, Mom!" in response to my lingering hug, knowing it would be too long before I saw her again.

As I waved her off down the road, I noticed the scent of her recently applied fragrance, fresh and sweet, clinging to my jacket. It stayed with me throughout the morning, lingering in the fabric of my clothes and reminding me to pray for her as she traveled. It was an unexpected reminder of my dearly beloved child as I moved through my day.

Second Corinthians 2:14 says that “through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of (Christ)." Because I am a Christian, I carry Christ with me wherever I go. When I exhibit kindness, gentleness, patience, and sacrificial love to those around me, I leave the sweet savor of Christ in my wake. Like the scent of my daughter's fragrance lingered with me long after she was gone, so can the fragrance of Christ remain with those I encounter long after I, His ambassador, am gone.


By the same token, my poor behavior--thoughtlessness, anger, impatience, and selfishness--can cause me to leave behind a stinky scent. Not only does this reflect poorly on me, it reflects poorly on the Savior Whose name I represent.

What about you? As  you move through your day, what type of fragrance do you leave behind? Do the lingering effects of your behavior draw people to you and the God you represent, or repel them?

As representatives of the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley, may we commit to be winsome, compelling, and attractive as we represent our precious Savior. 

You want to connect with God, but in the craziness of life, it’s just not happening. You want practical, biblical answers to situations you face every day, but you don’t have hours to pore over Scripture.

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• Is my situation hopeless?
• If God already knows what he’s going to do, why bother to pray? 
• Why have you allowed this to happen to me? 
• No one appreciates what I do. Why shouldn’t I quit? 

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