Today’s scripture: 2 Cor 2:12-17 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Michael Landon):
Smells and fragrances can evoke many different feelings, memories, and experiences. For people like myself who can be scent sensitive, there are many fragrances that can trigger both a migraine and a vertigo episode. Yet the same fragrance for another person might trigger feelings of joy, peace, or passion. There are some scents that are connected with memories, such as the smell of a turkey cooking as the smell permeates the whole house, bring back many wonderful memories of Thanksgiving and Christmas with my grandparents. The smell of a burning building always brings me back in time to when I was 5 or 6 and my grandparents’ house burned down and we spent time sorting through the house to see what might have survived the fire. Some fragrances remind us of certain people.
Some fragrances are pleasant and pleasing, while others are hideous or even hazardous. The curious thing about fragrances is that they cannot be seen; they are invisible. Yes, we may know the source of the fragrance, but we cannot actually see it unless there is such a concentration that it forms a mist or cloud that carries the fragrance within it. Yet not seeing the scent does not mean we do not experience its presence. A fragrance can permeate our clothes and linger for days. Some fragrances cling to their environment, making it possible for all to smell its scents upon entering a room.
Today’s scripture lesson says, “But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads in every place the fragrance that comes from knowing him. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing…” (2 Cor. 2:14-15 NRSV). What an amazing thought! We are the aroma of Christ that spreads the fragrance of knowing him wherever we go.
What does the aroma of knowing Christ smell like? How does that smell permeate through us to be a fragrance for others to smell and encounter? I’m not sure that there is an easy answer to either of those questions, but what comes to mind for me is: Am I living my life in such a way that allows unconditional love to freely flow so that all whom I encounter can become aware that they are loved unconditionally? Am I living my life in such a way that allows grace and forgiveness to freely spread and permeate every space I enter? Am I living my life in such a way that the peace that surpasses all understanding becomes contagious, becomes a healing balm? Or am I carrying around the fragrance of a toxic hazardous dump that spreads anger, resentment, mistrust, and lack of healing?
If I’m honest with myself and with God, the truth is I carry both the fragrance of Jesus and a toxic dump within me. There are times that Jesus’ fragrance is more prominent than others, and times that the toxic waste is more prominent. This is so because I am still healing, still transforming, still in need of being completely filled with God’s love. The challenge for me is to then not beat myself up when the toxic waste makes its presence known, because this can be an opportunity for the fragrance of Jesus to cleanse and heal, and to offer grace and healing to myself.
Thought for the day: What fragrance am I spreading today? May it be a fragrance of unconditional love, forgiveness, grace, peace, and healing.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.