Are You a Sweet Fragrance?

Have you ever gone to the perfume counter at the department store to look for a new fragrance? You might try several, spraying them on to decide which one you like best. By the end of it all, you can’t tell one smell from the next. You leave empty handed, telling the store clerk you want to see which scent lasts the longest before you decide. By evening, you can’t smell any of them! You find yourself thinking how quickly the scents have faded, especially given the cost.

Sometimes we treat our spiritual life like the costly perfume we buy. We put it on, and if we’re honest, as we go about our day, the sweet fragrance diminishes as we face the challenges of dealing with disgruntled people, frustrating situations, and all the trials of life. We find ourselves becoming sour, saying unkind things, being self-righteous, or gossiping.

Why is this so? Consider this: we don’t treasure our faith.

In John 12:3 Mary took a pint of pure nard, a very expensive perfume, and poured it on Jesus’ feet, wiping them with her hair, and filling the house with (a sweet) fragrance. Mary’s act showed how much she loved and treasured Christ, and that became a sweet fragrance in her heart, spilling out to all those around her. Mary’s fragrance was the result of wanting to please her Lord because she treasured the relationship. Her scent was one that lasted because she took it seriously. Unlike the costly perfume we put on in the morning, only to find gone by day’s end, the kind of fragrance Mary possessed didn’t diminish, but was evidenced at greater depth as time went on.

How about you, are you spreading the sweet fragrance of the Lord to those around you? Do others see something different and pleasing about you, or does the scent you’re wearing fade? If you find it's fading, maybe it’s time to check your heart, not your perfume. It won’t cost you a thing, but the results will be eternal.

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