What Is That Smell?!

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14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 2 Corinthians 2:14-15

Spring is in the air! This year there seem to be so many vibrant, colorful blooms everywhere! I have heard many commenting especially on how beautiful the lilac bushes are this year. My mom has a lilac bush in her yard, and it is loaded with blossoms. Not only are they beautiful to look at, but they also smell so lovely!

Sometimes around this time of year, I’ve noticed the classrooms in our building seem to also have a strong aroma. Unfortunately, it is not usually a pleasant scent! Lots of warm, sweaty bodies in a closed room will create a memorable fragrance of their own.

A week or two ago, for some reason, the smell of the cafeteria lunch was unusually strong in our hallways. I do not know why, but it was pungent. I think it was the smell of the corn that was served that day that was permeating the hallways, but I'm not really certain. I happened to be in the hallway as several of the youngest classes were entering the hallways to wash and head to lunch. The smell was so noticeable that every class of students immediately asked, “What is that smell?!” Many of the students even pulled their shirts up over their noses or pinched their nostrils against what was, to them, a very offensive odor.

Smells often have a very strong memory trigger for most of us. My daughter was chewing a piece of gum in our van this weekend, and the spearmint-y smell sparked a conversation about my grandmother, who often bears the same spearmint-y smell because of the cream she uses to ease her arthritis pain.

There are probably many smells to which you have a strong memory attached, as well. Maybe a perfume or soap of a loved one. Maybe a special scent from a holiday tradition that you grew up with. Maybe a particular flower that is a favorite. Maybe it’s a specific food smell that is deeply connected to a memory for you. When you catch even a tiny whiff of one of these smells, you probably immediately take a deeper breath to draw in more -- maybe even closing your eyes to intensify that wonderful fragrance and revel in the memories that come flooding back with it.

These verses from 2 Corinthians, chapter 2, say that we (believers and followers of Christ) are a pleasant aroma to God - an aroma that He uses to spread the knowledge of Himself. My “Life Application Bible” has a note that explains this further. It says, “In a Roman triumphal procession, the Roman general would display his treasures and captives amidst a cloud of incense burned for the gods . . . .” We, in Christ, are that treasure to God. I love the thought that God experiences that thrill of pleasure over me!

But I also feel the conviction that I may not be such a pleasing aroma to others around me. When I am critical, when I am negative, when I allow the stress of life’s busy-ness to drain my energy and shorten my temper, I am not likely to be labeled as a “pleasant aroma” to those around me. I am more likely to get the response of the nose-wrinkling, nostril-pinching young students I encountered!

When others see Christ in me, though, that should be a wonderful fragrance that makes them want to inhale deeply and enjoy for a bit. When I am full of His joy and love and peace, that should be just as uncontainable as a strong perfume in the air. It should overflow and be evident to all those around me. It should be something appealing that draws people in and leaves them wanting to experience more.

I pray that I can be more like that each day -- starting today!

God, help me to be a pleasant fragrance to those around me -- a fragrance that draws people to You and helps their knowledge of You to grow. But I can’t do that on my own, Lord. I need You to work in me to make Yourself known. Help me to always cooperate with Your Holy Spirit and teach me to recognize when I am not so that I can be a pleasing aroma to You and to all those around me.

Passports

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” John 11:25-27

My three kids and I have an opportunity to go with a team from our church on a mission trip this summer to Mexico. We are excited about having this chance to go and serve beside a missionary couple that we know personally. But we can’t just buy our plane tickets and go.

First, we all have to apply for and obtain passports. If you’ve never done this, let me tell you, it’s a process. You have to fill out a form. You have to collect and present several documents to prove your identity. If you’re a minor, you have to have both parents in attendance with you ready to sign your forms. And, of course, you have to pay the fees.

But this document, once secured, is critically important to have when traveling out of the country. It is required. No exceptions. It will be checked and inspected and the outcome of your trip depends on it being valid.

As we get nearer and nearer to Easter Sunday -- Resurrection Day -- I find myself thinking a lot about what Jesus did for me when He willingly died on that cross and was raised again. And since I also have all this passport process on my mind, I am realizing some similarities.

In this passage from John 11, Jesus is talking to Martha, whose brother, Lazarus, recently died and was buried. Jesus tells Martha that whoever believes in Him will live. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. He goes on to raise Lazarus from the dead later in this chapter. And through His own death and resurrection, He has provided the "passport" to eternal life for us.

Jesus has given us our identity as co-heirs to the kingdom of God. Through our belief in Jesus and His blood shed for us on the cross, Jesus completed our “passports” to eternity. He paid the fees. All we have to do is accept the gift by believing that He is who He says He is--the son of God.

There is no other “document” that we can count on for eternal life. Jesus alone is the way. Our access to eternity in heaven will either be granted or denied based on this one important decision: Do we believe in Jesus and trust Him as our Savior?

If so, we can rest in the glorious promise that Jesus made here to Martha. Jesus is the resurrection and the life! That is certainly something to cherish and hold dear -- way more important than a U.S. passport!

Thank You, Jesus, for submitting to God's perfect plan, for enduring the humiliation, suffering, and pain on the cross, for paying the fees for my sin, that I might know eternal life with You one day.  May I never forget what You have done for me!  Help me to boldly share this gospel with others that they, too, will enter Your kingdom and know eternal life.

The Value of Practice

This time of year is very busy for my family. One son is on the track team (throwing events), one son is on the baseball team and in band, my daughter is on the archery team and is also beginning to practice for softball, plus other school events, church events, and family events. It makes for a very full calendar. I missed writing a post last week - mainly because we were just not at home long enough at any point for me to get it done.

When it comes to sports, most everyone can agree on the value of practice. Even the most gifted athletes need practice, and often, those who aren’t as naturally athletic but are willing to put in the time at practice, those athletes consistently perform well come game time.

In my work at school, I often tell students and their families that the right kind of practice is a crucial key to improving as a reader, too.

A little over two years ago, I decided to take up violin. I expected it to be difficult -- and it is! It is not something that comes naturally to me. But I practice. I practice a lot and would practice more if I were home more. I can tell I definitely have improved, even though I still have a long way to go.

But my practicing took on a whole new level when my instructor asked me to play in a recital she was planning for all her students. Most of my violin playing is “enjoyed” only by myself, any of my family who happen to be home when I practice, and my instructor. I have played once or twice at church, but those pieces were fairly simple. The pieces for the recital were much more difficult. And so I had to step up on the practice. The more I played those pieces, the more comfortable I got with them.

I’m not going to say I wasn’t nervous when I played--because I was! But I made it through my pieces (although not perfectly) that day. And I’m guessing that if I do that again, it might be a little easier for me.

Last week, I studied the story of Rahab from Joshua 2. Rahab was a Canaanite woman who lived in the fortified city of Jericho. She had heard the stories of all the miraculous ways God had taken care of the Israelites, and she believed that God was going to deliver her city of Jericho into the Israelites’ hands.

Rahab hid two Israelite spies in her home and lied to her own king’s men when they came looking for the spies. And then, she asked the spies to spare her and her family when the day came for them to destroy Jericho.

8 Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof 9 and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. (Joshua 2:8-9)

12 “Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign 13 that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them—and that you will save us from death.” (Joshua 2:12-13)

It wasn’t enough for Rahab to simply believe that God was going to give the Israelites the victory. She acted on it. She put her faith into practice. She was in a very uncomfortable situation, betraying her own people and even risking her life.

And I think God does that with us today, too. I think He gives us uncomfortable situations and opportunities that require us to practice what we are learning from His word. I think that acting on our faith over and over again is a practice that makes us stronger and more useful in God’s kingdom. Each time we step out in faithful obedience, God proves Himself trustworthy, and that helps our faith to grow stronger so that the next time we are called to step out, it’s a little bit easier to do.

We know from Matthew’s genealogy that Rahab later married into the Israelite community and was one of the ancestors of King David, and of Jesus (Matthew 1:5). This story from Joshua 2 is just the beginning of her faith journey, even though we don’t know much more about her. But we do know she practiced her faith and was saved, and she was used by God. Because her story is recorded, she is still being used by God today.

I want to be like that. I want to step out in faith and practice what I believe. I know I often fail, but I know that God is still working, and each time I step out, I learn to trust Him more. I don’t know what God might be doing in your life right now, but I pray that you will also have the desire to be faithful - even if it is something small. May we all be found practicing our faith this week.

Heavenly Father, You are always faithful. You are able to take care of us, no matter what our situation may be. You are always working things for our good, and we can trust You. Help us to practice our faith in You. Help us to be like Rahab - to not only believe with our hearts and minds, but to act on those beliefs, too. Help us to be obedient when You call us to step out into uncomfortable situations so that we can honor You and bring You glory! Thank You for growing our faith!