October 10th, 2007
Our Smell
“Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God.”
2 Corinthians 2:15
I heard somewhere that smell is one of the brain’s greatest links to memory. If you smell something that you smelled in the past, that past memory has more chance of coming back than say a taste or visual memory. Now, don’t quote me on that, I don’t claim any scientific backup for it. Seems like I read that a few years ago (how’s that for memory – too bad I wasn’t baking chocolate chip cookies while I read that information – it might come back easier!) hehe.
This is the time of year for smells, though, huh? I love smelling the autumn air punctuated with people’s woodstoves. During this season I make applesauce to freeze, so our home often smells of cinnamon and apples. Since the weather is cooling down (slightly) I also bake more for the kids. Umm the deep chocolate smell of brownies! As our lives settle down more into the school routine, my bread machine gets used more for dinner. The smell of yeast and flour baking brings my kids in from school excited about what’s for supper! Not all smells are pleasant, however.
We have a pet hamster, Bob. He stinks. Although I buy the scented cedar chips, the bedding that supposedly reduces odor and a scent-diminishing spray to bathe him in periodically, he still smells. I decided to begin a compost pile this fall, and so in my kitchen I have a bucket to collect scraps. There are times when that bucket isn’t emptied soon enough and, boy, does it smell. And what about people?
I, of course, don’t smell. Well, I try hard not to smell! I wear unscented deodorant (is that too much information? hehe) and no perfume. The lotion and shampoo I use obviously have a scent, but I don’t think it lingers too long. Since Tim doesn’t like the strong smell of perfume, I avoid it. However, as you probably noticed in the above verse which I read today, I was shocked to learn that I do smell! Now, don’t be pointing fingers at me – you do too!
Anyone who is a child of God’s has a “Christ-like” fragrance. What does that smell like? I have no idea. Except that the next verses comment, “This fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. [wouldn’t that be a great store-fragrance, “Death and Doom” – not sure many would buy it!] But to those who are being saved, we are life-giving perfume.” So, we smell with a changing fragrance depending on who has the nose.
Why do we smell? The previous verse says, “He uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume.” Our smell of Christ greets people as they approach us and should cause a reaction in those we meet since our knowledge of Christ should permeate every word, action and judgment we make.
As God smells our Christ-like fragrance, I imagine he breathes in deeply, enjoying the smell of a life so full of his Son that we even smell like him.