christian living, faith walk, friendship, God first, grace, Hospitality, relationships
Nothing stirs my emotions like a favorite aroma. My mom used to make cinnamon bread on Sunday mornings before church. One sniff and I am transported to the place where I experienced the fragrant memory. I used a particular lotion on my first mission trip and every time I smell it, I am right back in rugged, rural Brazil.
Fragrance is a powerful memory prompt.
One of the first things we planted, 8 years ago, was my star Jasmine. It is in full bloom and smells fabulous. I knew it would take awhile to get all my landscape ideas off the paper and into planters, so I started with a few pots on our patio. From the beginning, I was imagining sitting and sipping, while the fragrance of the jasmine wafted by. My starry eyed climbers have not disappointed me.
It made me think about the aroma of me. No, not my physical smell, rather, the memory of me that remains after being together with another. We all leave a “scent” memory in how we make people feel and what their thoughts turn to after spending time with us. Wow! I had to sit with that for a bit.
Paul talks about it in his letter to the Corinthian church. He says we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and /or perishing. We can be a fragrance of spiritual life or death for others. If you are a little convicted by that thought, I’m already in line ahead of you!
But look closely at the verse below. It starts with “Christ always leads”. What follows is our privilege as followers of Jesus, we get to participate by His grace. Then it says, “through us spreads the fragrance”. It’s awesome and more than a little humbling that we get to be “spreaders” of grace. But it always starts with Christ. Not me. Not you. Christ. He is before all, and in all things! We GET to spread the fragrance of him! It’s an incredible privilege as beloved children of the King of King’s!
“Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, 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, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.” 2 Corinthians 2:14-16
This is my prayer: Jesus, we want to smell like you! May anyone who interacts with us recall the sweet fragrance of the fruit of the spirit, the fruit of Your vine, growing in us. May they be drawn closer to you because we faithfully serve up the Gospel on fragrant platters of love.
christian living, faith walk, friendship, life experience, Listening, perseverance, Prayer, relationships, spirituality
I love my yellow boots. Although they are perfect for mucking through garden mud and planting pansies, they could hardly be called the “right shoe” for a day at the office or a night out when I need a more polished look. Understanding the “right shoe for the job” has many helpful implications.
There have been many times when I failed to choose the right “shoe or tool” for a situation.
- What tone of voice is best? House shoes or Military boots?
- What facial expression communicates my heart? Brightly colored sandals?
- When is a hug needed more than words? Fuzzy slippers might do the trick.
- When does listening have a greater impact than speaking? Sneakers are multipurpose and particularly good for listening due to their quiet nature.
I’ve been on a quest to identify the right shoes for the job. Some tasks call for shoes that are comfortable for more than 2 hours, ( wouldn’t it help if they were labeled by their hours of wear time!) but I’m also learning that what is most comfortable for me, isn’t always best for the situation. My yellow boots may be great for stomping through the yard, but the lighter footprint required at times, means a shoe change for me.
It’s ironic that I can learn so much when wearing my garden stomping boots and yet I can fail at the finesse needed in more delicate circumstances.
If you also need a little help choosing your shoes, or communication tools, spend time with these encouraging words of wise counsel from God’s Word, the Bible.
“The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious and adds persuasiveness to his lips. Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.” Proverbs 16:23-24
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” James 1:5
Lord, help me to seek your wisdom about the right tools and shoes for the job! May I know when to step lightly and when to quietly listen.
christian living, faith walk, friendship, life experience, parenting, perseverance
Once upon a time there was a mom with three young kids who didn’t know how to ask for help. Even when her legs and joints stopped working, as the pain of Valley Fever attacked her body, she put on the “I’m okay” mask and tried to carry on with life.
However, in this chapter, “carrying on” was hard because her body wasn’t cooperating. It needed time to heal and healing meant she needed to rest. And ask for help.
Rest and Help were both foreign words to this energizer bunny, mom. Thankfully, those who knew her, also knew she needed help, whether she asked, admitted or not.
- Laundry. Meals. Picking up kids. Taking them on school trips. Band practice. More meals. Dance. School. More laundry. Weeks turning into months.
All such gracious gifts. Gifts she was humbled to receive. Gifts that would be hard to repay.
As the next chapters were written, the mom had wise women in her life who would remind her that the gifts “could” be repaid, as occasion permitted, but they were offered without strings. The mom was humbled and challenged to accept them as such.
The Greatest Gift we can ever receive is also offered without strings.
Chapter upon chapter, the mom was learning more about grace and gifts – deserved and undeserved.
christian living, faith walk, forgotten, friendship, life experience, relationships, resilience, spirituality
I didn’t know “seasonal” could describe friendship or that not all friendships last a lifetime.
In my mid-twenties & struggling to understand recent friendship shifts, I observed my mother, a time-tested military wife. She had moved many times, and didn’t have a bestie or a group of gal-pals she reached back to as she was transplanted again. She started where she was, propagating new friendships and cultivating hospitality.
At first, I was sad for her. But my feelings didn’t match her emotions. She wasn’t sad. She had learned to embrace the changes that came with the military lifestyle. Settled and friends took on new meaning. She inwardly mourned the loss of what had been and outwardly embraced the now. She welcomed unfamiliar faces into every home in my memory.
She lived Ecclesiastes 3: There’s a time for every activity under the sun. Like the illustration of planting and harvesting, my mom planted seeds of friendship in the soil of each location.
Do these thoughts about friendship and seasons stir emotions in you?
Have you worked the soil with little to show for it?
For too many years, I carried guilt for friendships that seemed lost in the past, feeling as though I had “failed” to maintain a connection across the planting and harvesting of life.
If you’re in a time of friendship shifting, can I suggest my mom’s habit of tilling the soil of acquaintances?
Reach out and extend hospitality.
- Be the person others can gather with.
- Be patient with the in-between times. They can feel awkward and lonely. Lean into the God who created you. He knows your need for connection. Tell Him how you feel, then keep working the soil. Watch Him provide.
- Be careful that friendship isn’t where you find your security and identity, find it in your relationship with Christ.
- Be a thanksgiver in every season. Send a note or text of appreciation to a friend that enriched your life in a previous season.
Rest your roots in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”
