“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumph, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.”
2 Corinthians 2:14-15 (RSV)
Twice in this chapter, the apostle Paul tells us that we are a fragrance and an aroma of Christ to others. He told the Corinthians that God wants us to live in the awareness that we carry the scent of His son with us everywhere we go.
Since God is love, and Jesus is God incarnate, then the fragrance of Christ is the aroma of love.
His aroma is a spiritual scent with the same effect that a physical fragrance has. An aroma or a fragrance lingers in the air, long after a person walks away. Anytime we meet someone who leaves a lasting impression on us, of love, peace, joy or kindness, it’s the aroma of God’s love emanating through them.
God wants everyone to be saved, and to spend eternity with Him, so He spreads His fragrance through us and among us for His divine purpose. He uses ordinary people to touch the hearts of others with His love. We each carry His aroma according to our own unique personality traits. It’s amazing to meditate upon, but we are those ordinary people, who carry the fragrance of Jesus, the son of God, with us wherever we go.
The powerful effect of the aroma of Christ, is that it brings life to all those who need it. It’s a spiritual scent that causes someone to pause and think about God. I remember once, never having a single thought about God, but one day I began to wonder what He expects of me.
Someone left His fragrance with me, and though I have no idea who, I have a hunch that it was two women I worked with briefly at a department store, during college. I never heard them speak about God, but they had an aura of kindness and love, and seemed different from others. I knew that they were Christians, involved in their church, yet we never had a conversation about God.
A year later, I no longer worked there and never saw them again, but my thinking started to shift. It eventually changed my life, and Jesus touched and transformed my mind and soul. Perhaps they prayed for me, I may never know, but I believe they left the aroma and fragrance of Christ with me.
Without taking a narcissistic view, we should probably consider that God sends us to others for a divine purpose, just as He sends others to us, since He is always working out His divine purpose and plans.
Imagine if every person we meet is a part of God’s plan and design, and there are no coincidences?
Life becomes very exciting when we live with that perspective.
Some people might not listen to words of wisdom or persuasive arguments, but they will respond to love. The aroma of Christ is easily breathed in, and it gently permeates a person’s soul. It’s a fragrance that can subtly transform a life and affect their eternal destiny.
My son’s brain injury seems to prevent him from fully understanding or expressing speech. Although he tries, he mostly communicates in jibberish that cannot be understood, but I have learned that in spite of this, his soul is alive and well within him. There is no doubt that he responds with emotion to expressions of love.
He could go for hours without talking or answering, maybe not even fully comprehending the words said to him, but as soon as I hug him and say “I love you”, he begins to cry uncontrollably. The aroma of love touches a part of him, deep in his soul, which proves to me that if nothing else, he understands words of love.
Yesterday, I had a moment like that with him, and his nurse assistants were walking by and saw him crying. When I told them why he was crying, they immediately reacted, showing compassion, and surrounding him with love. I quickly snapped a picture of that moment, and what a sweet picture it made.
Love is a language that every soul understands, whether they are able to speak or not. A brain injury limits cognitive ability, but it doesn’t affect the ability to show and receive love. That’s because love connects with the soul, not just the brain.
In God’s perfect design and plan, He brought those nurse assistants to this Nursing Home at the right time, to permeate their aroma in Jon’s life, and others. Jon certainly receives a lot of love from the staff, and I’m glad that he can respond emotionally to that love.
We may not always realize it, but the people in our lives are those who were sent to us, just as we were sent to them. God wants to share the aroma of His son, Jesus, through us, to the rest of the world. For some people, love is the only language they will ever comprehend. While we continue spreading the aroma of Christ to those around us, God continues to lead people to us for a purpose and a time such as this.
Lord, let the fragrance of Christ permeate every place we go and touch the life of every person we meet. Lead us in triumph, with a new awareness that we were made to spread your aroma of love to all those around us. Amen