Am I a Pleasant Perfume?
We are a fragrance of Christ…among those who are being saved. I Corinthians 2:15 (NASV)Last year heavy spring rains set in, with deluges so heavy one church jokingly advertised: "We take reservations for the ark."
Busy dealing with flooded basements and waterlogged gardens, nobody took time to tend the flower bed at the front of our church and soon ragweeds, mustard plants and stinkweeds were threatening to take over.
The soil being far too wet to hoe, my husband and I pulled every weed by hand. Working my way along on my hands and knees, the dank odor of waterlogged soil was compounded by the stench of bruised stinkweeds. Why had I volunteered for this job anyway? It literally stunk.
I was ready to give up when my weeding took me close to a peony plant. Loaded with huge pink blossoms, their perfume was so strong it permeated the entire area around me. Invigorated by that refreshing fragrance, I soon forgot all about my aching muscles and the mud caked to my slacks. I was where God needed me to be.
I confess that sometimes my bad attitude smells more like a stinkweed than a peony, especially when conditions aren't favorable. Flooded with work, or swamped by unrealistic expectations, my ego gets bruised and I reek of resentment. Yet like the peony, God has planted me to bloom where I am, to convey such a fragrance of Christ that others will find me pleasant to work with, even when at times the work itself isn't pleasant.
Lord, remind me that I am to be Your "aroma therapy." Amen.
By Alma (Winnipeg, Canada)
