Today I stepped outside to survey the snow covered landscape. It was beautiful and serene. After a moment or two I stepped back into the house to warm myself up. As I was closing the door a strange smell attacked my olfactory senses. My mind ran through the obvious choices, wet dog...no; pet mess...no; left over dinner odors...no. At this point I'm still not sure what it is but I am sure it's not dead. I know the smell of dead.
When I was a little girl I shared a very small bedroom with my little sister. One day our room began to take on a new aroma. As time went on the delicate bouquet became a pungent stink. My mother kept our bedroom door closed so the smell wouldn't be drawn into other living quarters. We searched high and low for the cause.
One day I was digging around in the back of my underwear drawer for something I had secreted there. I don't remember what that was, but what I did find was the source of the odor. Sometime past, for reasons I cannot fathom, I placed a pair of scissors in that drawer of delicates. There, impaled on the scissors, was a mouse.
I highly doubt he had committed suicide by rushing at the scissors. The other theory is that by freak chance I had murdered him when I shoved the scissors in the drawer.
Mother had to clean all of my personal garments. Luckily I didn't give it to much thought or I probably would have refused to wear them.
What smells good to one person can be quite stinky to another. Perfume is one that could probably start a war, as could some cheese's. II Corinthians 2:14-16 says, Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved,and in them that perish. To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?
As we tell others about Jesus, they will either regard the message of the gospel as the sweet smell that it is, or decide it is a disgusting odour. We can only spread the sweet smell of Christ. It does not stink, but it may take people time to learn to like the smell of salvation by grace.
Never give up releasing the odour of Christ. Others can't get used to the smell if it is not there to be sniffed.
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Nov. 9, 2005
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Very true...
God Bless!
Ali