I have a very sensitive nose. I can smell cigarette smoke in the car next to me while I’m driving down the road. I have come home and immediately taken a shower because I could still smell cigarette smoke in my hair after walking past someone who had been smoking. It’s hard to believe I smoked for over ten years because I absolutely hate the smell of cigarette smoke now!
I’m the same way with pleasant fragrances, too, though. One of my favorites was on our trip to Cancun. I got an amazing massage, but the scents that emanated from the spa were just as amazing! I don’t know what they used, but I wanted to just hang out there all day and smell the tantalizing aromas that were wafting all around me!
Have you ever been around someone who radiated such a love for the Lord that you could almost smell the fragrance of Christ in their presence? Paul describes committed believers as “the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing,” (2 Corinthians 2:15).
It’s interesting that he compares the presence of Christians to an aroma. Did you know that our olfactory bulb that is responsible for our sense of smell is also connected to our limbic system? The limbic system is where most of our emotional responses are regulated, including pleasure and anger.
Christians can leave people feeling angry or happy, depending on how we interact with them. We can leave behind the fragrance of Christ, or we can leave behind the stink of self-righteousness.
Pleasing aromas attract us and want us to draw closer for more. I hope people want more of Jesus after being around me. Sadly, I’m sure there have been times in my life when my own negativity, selfishness, or other ungodly traits repelled them. Like acrid cigarette smoke, sin and selfishness can leave a lingering stench. I don’t want people to smell that after being with me.
As I draw closer to the sweetness of Jesus, the aroma of Christ changes me a little more each time. Oh, how I pray that the lovely aroma of our Savior will draw others to inhale more deeply of Him.
He is way better than a day at the spa!
Leave a Comment