If you know me at all, you know that I am a happy camper when March rolls around! Daylight Savings Time has begun, which means the dark of night does not arrive until after 7:00 p.m.. In the winter it is a little before 5:00 p.m. when darkness arrives. Ugh for me!! 

Spring is one of the most beautiful and fragrant times of the year. The picture above is my street of residence and the Bradford pear trees are beautiful. We have hundreds of them in our neighborhood, creating a canopy of beautiful white blooms throughout our large neighborhood. What a beautiful sight to see these trees against the bright blue skyline.

The Bradford pear tree is beautiful, but they emit a stench that lingers for as long as the flowers last, making it unpleasant to be around until the flowers finally fall to the ground. The aroma causes one to have no desire to be near the beautiful-looking Bradford tree. The aroma does not match the tree.

The Bible has a lot to say about the aroma of a Christian. One verse tells us, “For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.” – 2 Corinthians 2:15.

As believers, we all give off an aroma that reaches the nostrils of God and the nostrils of those around us. As we live our lives, we can spread the sweet incense of Jesus. What an honor, but also a great responsibility. Is our aroma Christ-like? Would our smell of Christianity attract non-believers?

I have lived seven decades on the earth, and I do not recall a time when people had so much emptiness, unhappiness, and restlessness. Now is the time to stop looking like a beautiful Christian because you carry a Bible, attend church, give money, or many other things that are beautiful. Those things mean little if we do not give a beautiful aroma of the Christ who lives within us. We offer hope to the lost when we emit a life-giving perfume.

There is a Hawaiian saying, “Tiny is the flower, yet it scents the grasses around it.” What a great illustration of how the smallest things can have impactful results. The fact that the flower is small and seemingly insignificant does not keep it from spreading the fragrance it was created to share. In fact, often the smallest flower can have the most potent fragrance!

Never underestimate the power of your fragrant kindness, joy, encouragement, and peace. Smile at the clerk who does not seem nice to you. Speak a kind word to them. Be nice to that cranky neighbor. When others speak of how rotten the world is, agree with them but with a caveat. Yes, the world is kind of rotten these days, but Jesus gives me joy and peace in the midst of it all. Show up to help a neighbor in need. Stop with rude social posts. Be an encourager in word and deed. Give off the fragrance of Jesus that lives within you.

By giving off a sweet aroma of Christ, you might just entice someone to search for the source. Maybe they cannot quite figure out why you are different, but they do often notice an enticing aroma that makes you different. It is God’s love they are attracted to, which could be the beginning step to opening their heart to Jesus.

Don’t look beautiful as a Christian but emit rottenness. Who in your daily interaction needs to smell the aroma of Christ today? Use every opportunity to be a fragrant offering for Christ.

“Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. – Ephesians 5:2