Michala went on a retreat a couple of years ago and called us to share one of her favorite takeaways. She said, "We are to smell like Jesus." (The fragrance of Christ referenced in this scripture: "Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing." - 2 Corinthians 2:15)
I loved that reminder and wrote it down in my Bible.
But lately I have been thinking ... I do not think I smell like Jesus. The temperature from the past year leading up to the election has made many of us reach the boiling point. I am sure many of my comments have smelled more like Aimee and less like Jesus.
I don't want to smell like Aimee. Granted, often times, Aimee smells like Brown Sugar and Fig, or the Bum Bum cream I love. Sometimes Aimee smells like chocolate chip cookies, or like the Moroccan chicken I love to cook with the lingering garlic on my fingertips. I don't like the lingering garlic scent, hours after we have had dinner.
The lingering garlic scent reminds me I need to be more mindful of my words and actions so I don't smell like Aimee. I just want to smell like Jesus.
There really is no better time for us to accept the challenge of smelling like Jesus, than Christmas. We can quietly leave the lingering aroma of Jesus behind when leave a meal on someone's front porch, or buy Christmas gifts for a family struggling financially and not let them know the gifts were from us. We can leave a lingering aroma of Jesus behind when support local restaurants by purchasing gift certificates and have them sent, anonymously to health care workers on the front lines or to exhausted teachers.
We can leave a lingering aroma of Jesus behind simply by showing up and checking on our friends who are grieving, struggling, stressed/depressed. They don't expect for us to have solutions to their problems ... they just need for us to be present.
I don't know about you, but I'm pretty excited about trying to change my fragrance and aroma, and smelling more like Jesus and less like Aimee. I have an awful lot of work to do, because He sure does smell sweet like love ... not bitter like garlic. (Or me).