Fun fact for you: Did you know that the sense of smell triggers the most vivid memories? There are so many times that I get a whiff of wooden slats and I’m instantly taken back to my Grammy Brown’s house and I can smell the green wooden blinds on her front porch. Or the smell of lilacs reminds me of our wedding day and I remember my mom and I placing bouquets of my favorite flower around the sanctuary of the United Baptist Church in Peru, Maine. Walking into my mother-in-law’s house when she is preparing homemade spaghetti sauce and I’m reminded of the time when we lived with them and how comforting it was knowing that supper was going to be so yummy and so worth the wait!
The other day I bought some bars of Ivory Soap and as the scent of the soap hit my nose, I was mentally transported back to a little Sunday School room where Esther Russell was our teacher. One Mother’s Day, Mrs. Russell taught us how to wrap Ivory Soap with cloth to make them look like little Bibles. We were all so excited to give these gifts to our moms. After all these years, that’s what stays with me. I wish I could say that Mrs. Russell’s lessons stuck in my brain or that I remember all the verses she taught us. But no, it’s the smell of Ivory Soap. Sorry, Mrs. Russell!
While I was inhaling the clean scent of Ivory Soap, I got thinking “What scent do I give off? What stays with people long after I’ve walked away?”
In the book of The Song of Solomon in the Bible, Jesus is referred to as “The Lily of The Valley” and “The Rose of Sharon”. Wouldn’t it be lovely to be referred to as a Lily of the Valley? One of the sweetest smelling flowers ever. I read online that the lily is one of the tallest flowers but hangs it’s head low. So much like our Jesus. He humbled Himself and came to earth as a helpless baby. Am I content to humble myself when I feel like I deserve recognition for a job that I feel was done well? Do I consider others above myself? Do I leave a sweet scent after I have left a room, or a conversation, or an interaction with someone? Do people know that I’m a follower of Christ? Do people remember me as one who spoke words of love and kindness? Or do I leave them with the scent of a less than desirable fragrance? A scent of bitterness, anger, or discontent?
Ephesians 5:1 & 2 basically sums up what I’m trying to say: Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
I fail miserably at times but I’m thankful for grace and second chances. So I’m trying to be less like a Trillium (Stinking Benjamin) and more like a Lily.
tapmyshoulder 