Tuesday, April 13, 2010

The scent of Jesus

The other day I was invited to a friend's for dinner. I came in the building, and immediately smelled something that had the aroma of new carpet. I took the elevator to the 6th floor and stepped out and was overwhelmed by the strong scent of microwave popcorn. I walked a few steps more and the aroma of indian food hit me. Just beyond the indian food and well past the microwave popcorn, someone had burned part of dinner. i turned down one last hallway and the most glorious scent filled the space. I couldn't identify it, but it was good and it was my dinner.

Smell is a funny thing. It can draw you in or repulse you. It can stir up a memory or be a part of a new one. There is a smell that is associated with the memory of some of my favorite people. There are also smells, I don't care to ever smell again. Like the time I was thawing chicken in my microwave, got distracted, totally forgot about the chicken, left to go house sit and then came home to the most HORRID smell I've ever encountered to date. I knew instantly when I walked in the door that something was wrong.

Smell, it gives you away every time.

Jesus doesn't speak of scent. He encounters the aromatic offerings of the woman who broke an expensive jar of perfume at his feet, but really the concept of scent directly was not discussed. But, however Jesus did have a scent. He left it everywhere he traveled. People knew there was something about him that identified him as someone different, someone to watch, someone to know.

When I think about the scent of Jesus I desire to have my life smell like His. That when people encounter me in some form that the aroma that is left, is that of Christ and not of self.
2 Corinthians 2:14-15 says,"14But 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. 15For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing."

Last year I traveled to Seattle for some much needed time off. I stayed in a home just outside the city and woke up every morning to the sweetest smell. It was a combination of evergreen trees, flowers and simply the clean air smell that was everywhere. I woke up every morning, took a deep breath and said, "well good morning Jesus!" I could smell Him. It was as though he were right there in the room with me. Such an indescribable sweet scent that could have only come from the Creator.

We too leave scents.
What is the aroma you leave? What is the aroma the world smells of those who follow Jesus? I pray today as I go about the things of my schedule that I will leave an aroma that reminds people of Jesus.

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