“Fireballs and leather, ah, smells just like Big Al Pop’s truck”. This was the comment made by our granddaughter, Savannah, when she smelled the combined candle scents of leather and cinnamon.
Anybody that knows Big Al knows there are some constants in his life that define him. On the physical level he is known, among other things, for his big white, Ford F350, King Ranch truck and the jar of red, hot fireballs that are always present in it. The fireball supply is freely given to any passengers and then replenished from Cracker Barrel whenever we make a trip to Tennessee. Sometimes sweet friends or family that have been the recipients of them will bring him a new supply. His truck really does smell of “fireballs and leather”. The scent is welcoming, familiar, and speaks of Big Al.
Smells, aromas, fragrances, whatever you call them, are so powerful. They evoke memories, whether good or bad. Most often they are welcome, reassuring, and tie us to those nearest and dearest to us. Science tells us that of all the senses, smell is the one that triggers memories most. There are “smell memories” in my brain that are less than pleasant and better left undisclosed. But mostly there is a vast store of pleasant memories associated with smells. When the smells are duplicated in the here and now, they trigger a flood of remembrances, of precious faces, places, and times. The smell of lilacs brings to mind my mother and her love of not only this plant, but also every other one. I can still see and “smell” the one that grew at the end of our house for years when I was a child. I remember my daddy smelling of Old Spice and Brylcream hair dressing when he was cleaned up and of grease from cars he was working on, or sweat from toiling in our garden. I remember that sweet baby smell of my children. To this day, I love the smell of Brut that Big Al has worn for forty plus years.
As much as I welcome these and many other pleasant smells, I detest the ones that induce disagreeable memories or experiences. The unpleasant ones are neither welcome or solicited. The Bible speaks of the lives of those that follow Christ as the pleasing aromas to God. Would it then be that a life lived in opposition or rebellion to him, be detestable and offensive as a foul smell would be to us? How sad it is to think of living a life that would actually be offensive to the God of the universe!
Not only is the “fragrance” we emit known to God, it is known to the world. The Bible calls us in II Corinthians 2, the “aroma of Christ” to the world. What a responsibility we have to smell like Christ to a broken and hurting world that is winding down toward eternity. We have the opportunity to offer hope and salvation or more hopelessness and despair. Which will it be? I want to smell like my Savior offering love to the unlovely, hope to the hopeless, going and doing what I can to relieve suffering where ever I can.
What are you smelling like?
II Corinthians 2: 14-16 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death, to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task?
Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.
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