The Fragrance of Christ

Mornings hold a special magic for me. No matter the season, each day bears a charm unlike the one before it. As I sit quietly communing with God, often His Presence reduces me to tears. Breathing deep, I inhale the fragrance of Christ into the depths of my soul.

A quick seasonal themed Pinterest search yields not only decor and food ideas, but dozens of essential oil recipes meant to replicate the fragrance of the season.

Supposing this more of a personal preference, I paid little attention to the idea. Until early one morning recently, as I stood outside, a distinct scent captured my sense of smell. Noticing the same scent on subsequent days, I concluded spring was showing off its signature scent.

Perhaps the fragrance of each season offers more than simply a signature scent with which to fill our homes, perhaps the fragrance of Christ meets us in new ways with the change of seasons.

Welcome back to the garden for a time of Garden Grace, where we allow God to reveal Himself through His creation. Once a month we linger together gleaning all He has for us through the beauty of plants, trees, animals and insects. I can’t wait to share my most recent discovery with you!

the fragrance of our days

Chemically sensitive, perfumes make me ill. But beyond my body’s distaste for perfumes, “fake” scents have long been the bane of my existence. I have yet to meet a scented candle which truly smelled as the label indicated, unless of course it was made with essential oils.

Without completely dragging out my soapbox, I will only mention the plethora of scientific evidence for the damaging effects of chemically created scents on the central nervous system resulting in neurotoxicity.

But God blessed us with extraordinary scents from creation possessing healing and nourishing properties for our minds and bodies!

Spending time in the garden reminds me how much God enjoys fragrance. The seasons of spring and summer explode with the wonder of fragrance.

Yet the fragrance of our days consists of much more than pleasant scents from the garden. What was known as Mother Teresa’s daily prayer came to my mind as I lingered outdoors:

“Dear Jesus, help me to spread Your fragrance everywhere I go.
Flood my soul with Your spirit and life.
Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly,
That my life may only be a radiance of Yours.
Shine through me, and be so in me
That every soul I come in contact with
May feel Your presence in my soul.”

the fragrance of christ

Mother Teresa’s words compose a garden prayer of sorts for me. God meets me in powerful ways through His creation, and my time in the garden often finds me lost in His fragrance.

As His fragrance permeates and gently caresses every living thing in my garden, the very essence of Christ pervades my being in an infinite circle of aromatic oneness.

Perhaps the same thought occurred to the Apostle Paul as he penned 2 Corinthians 2:14-15:

“ Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. ¹⁵ For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.”

Diffused by the Father, the fragrance of Christ flows from the depths of our being through us to others and back again as a sweet savor unto Him.

The beauty of this thought so elegantly emerges from Mother Teresa’s prayer: “spreading the fragrance of Christ everywhere we go, possessed so completely by Him, our lives imbue but a radiance of His.”

spreading the fragrance of christ

The question then becomes, “how do we spread the fragrance of Christ everywhere we go?”

Upon reflection, three specific ways of spreading the fragrance of Christ to others becomes apparent:

• Live Surrendered. A daily relinquishing of my will and way to God. Living open without clinging to my agenda, allowing God both to fill and work in me His purpose for my moments.
• Live Spirit-filled. Invite the Holy Spirit to so fill and permeate your soul, no room remains for selfish desires. Living open to the Holy Spirit’s guiding, willing only for others to see Christ in you.
• Live Sacrificed. Become a living sacrifice daily as you deny self in all its forms, seeking instead to put God first, while serving others. Seeking God’s will above your own in joyful obedience.

When we live surrendered, Spirit-filled, and sacrificed, we spread the fragrance and knowledge of Christ in every place we travel.

Becoming a sweet savor of Christ unto God the Father through every season of our lives.

Perhaps one of the delights of each season’s signature scent is the lovely reminder that as we breathe deeply of the sweet fragrance of Christ in each new season, we likewise breathe out His beautiful fragrance to others everywhere we go.

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