What is Your Fragrance?

Senior Leader David Brudnicki

Have you ever gone on a date and ordered something you thought you would love? The anticipation of your meal grows with every plate that passes by your table. Then server places a steaming plate in front of you, and you go into “sensory exploration mode.” You consume the plate with your eyes and nose before the food ever hits your taste buds. But what happens when your order is not what you expected? When happens when your senses tell you “This is not going to be a good experience” before you eat? Maybe it’s even a case of food envy. Across from you, your date is engrossed in their plate and their satisfaction makes you wish you had been more diligent in choosing an entrée. The disillusionment settles in.

This same sensory experience is common across different scenarios: a friend convincing you to try out their favorite restaurant, an understaffed restaurant where the food is late and cold, the restaurant is touted to be exemplary but disappoints… the story goes on.

This happens as we walk out our faith. Our lives should carry aroma of Christ, just as our lives should look like Him. Hosea 14: 5-6 talks about this when describing Jesus: “He will blossom like the lily, And he will take root like the cedars of Lebanon. His shoots will sprout, And His beauty will be like the olive tree, and His fragrance like the cedars of Lebanon.” The imagery in these verses describes Christ having “fragrance like the cedars of Lebanon.” So how does that inform our fragrance? It is simple. We should carry the sent of Christ in a way that effects how we talk, what we do, and why we do things.

Much like a hungry diner knows good food by its smell, a person whose heart is searching out Christ can “smell” our aroma. Conversely, when a meal isn’t exceptional, you can also tell by the scent. When exceptional food passes your table, you’re engulfed by smell. It should be the same when people catch the scent of our lives.

We are surrounded by a world that is ravenous for the presence of God. Our goal is to carry the fragrance of heaven that causes peoples heads to turn. Our lives should emanate His “scent” in a way that challenges people to look at what is in front of them and say, “I want whatever that person has.” I’m guessing that there is science to back up the claim that smells trigger and excite hunger.

Declarations: I carry the fragrance of heaven wherever I go.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for the opportunities I have to carry your fragrance each day. Help me to become more aware of the divine appointments you have set up for me. I want your fragrance to overpower any fragrance that I might be carrying. Open my eyes to the hunger of those around me and use me as a vessel to stir up that hunger. Amen.