Confession: I have a very sensitive gag reflex. Whether I hear, see, or smell something my body deems gross, it will respond...usually not in a pleasant or ladylike manner.
When I was a teacher, I always sent kids with loose teeth to the teacher across the hall. When I'm holding a baby and the diaper starts to smell, that's my cue to return them to the parent. When I was young and thought about being a mom, my kids vomiting was one of my greatest fears. I wish I was joking, but I'm not. Stick around long enough and you'll hear me gag at least once. That said, you can imagine the scene after our big freezer (the one that holds the meat and other food I buy in bulk at Sam's) randomly stopped cooling. Since it was random and there was still light and power to it, it took me a few days to realize what was going on. Just writing about it gives me that feeling of hot spit in my mouth and makes my stomach turn. Before things got too bad, I cleaned most of it out. It smelled but it was still somewhat cold so it wasn't terrible.
A few days later, I started to notice the smell intensifying. I saw the evidence of thawing things on the floor under the door. I quickly mopped it up thinking that would solve the smell. I was wrong. The odor continued to become stronger. Not using my best brain power, I decided to open the door and take a look. The door didn't stay open very long (as you could probably figure by this point) but it was open long enough for me to realize I had left a bag of fish right on the middle shelf. And it was thawed. And no longer cool. And leaking. I quickly closed the door and left the laundry room dreading the task at hand. I'll spare the details, but I have since cleaned out the food remaining in the freezer and scrubbed it down. I have mopped again and put a strong air freshener in there. I've even cooked bacon and baked cookies in hopes of completely ridding my nose of that smell!
The unfortunate thing is that the smell has become like a bad memory. Even when I'm not at home I smell it. It lingers in my mind and nostrils! Needless to say, this experience made quite an impression on me! Today, I "smelled" it in my van. Almost immediately, I was reminded of a Scripture in 2 Corinthians 2:14-16. Paul says, "But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. 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. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?" I was reminded that my life and the way I live will produce a spiritual aroma of sorts.
When I catch a whiff of the freezer, I smell decay. I smell a mistake I made by not removing everything immediately. I smell something that is completely unnatural. I smell something I want no part of. I smell something I want removed and changed! According to what Paul is saying in this passage, when people who do not have a relationship with God through faith in Christ encounter me, the difference Christ makes in my life and the grace and mercy I have received should be so evident that it that it stands in stark contrast to their life without God. The life that Christ produces in me should be like the smell of "death and doom" as it reminds them of the eternity they face not knowing Christ. On the flip side of that, when I am with other believers, the aroma my life produces should be one of life and encouragement.
In addition, the aroma of my life should be like the aroma of that freezer. It should be one that lingers and stays with people I encounter. When I am not around, it should remind those who don't know Christ of their need for Him. When I am not around, it should remind other believers of the hope they have for eternity. And like my freezer, I also have to remember that my job is simply to produce the aroma of what is inside of me. The work of heart change is up to the Holy Spirit. The cleaning and restoring is up to Him. But I must make that aroma evident to all by living my life according to His Word and character.
