The Fragrance of the Son

For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.
2 Corinthians 2:15 (NKJV)

Living in Colorado, we use flannel sheets on our beds for about half of the year. Just this week, I was able to put away the flannel sheets until fall, and make our bed with "regular" sheets. When I lay my head down on the newly made bed of regular sheets that first night, I smelled the unmistakable fragrance of the sun. It's precisely this wonderful smell that makes it worthwhile for me to hang our clothes outside during the warmer months, but these sheets hadn't seen the sun in six months! Perhaps it was the lavender sachet in the linen closet that helped, but I marveled at how the sheets I had hung on the line last October still reminded me of that wonderful essence of Colorado sunshine.

When you think about it, the Bible mentions fragrance quite often. "An aroma pleasing to the Lord" in Old Testament sacrifices, the gifts of the Magi to the young Jesus, Mary (sister of Lazarus and Martha) anointing Jesus' feet (John 12) shortly before the triumphal entry, and the women coming to the tomb to anoint Jesus' body (Mark 16), just to name a few. The verse above was not one I had remembered in my Bible study, but it's certainly one to take to heart.

Thank you, Lord, for miraculously retaining that sunshine smell, and for reminding me of the fragrance of our Lord, which lasts so very much longer. Help me to be a fragrance of Christ for those who are perishing.

(Thanks to this web page for the picture above. It's got an interesting article about hand washing clothes in the past, too. And then for a bit of humor and a touch of sadness, go to this site to read all about the clothes drying covenants in Montgomery Village, Maryland, "One of the First Beautifully Planned Communities in the United States.")