In an office where I once worked, the purchasing agent refused to see sales reps in the afternoon, because he couldn’t abide the essence of garlic oozing from their pores if they had eaten some at lunch.
Coming inside after sitting around a campfire enjoying s’mores, smoke would ooze tellingly from clothing and hair.
A friend worked at a supermarket, in the fish department, with the same unpleasant results – only a hot shower would arrest the oozing scent of warming seafood.
A farmer, after a day of baling hay, would ooze the odor of his field.
An athlete, heading for the locker rooms after a hard-fought game would, well . . .
What I find intriguing in all these situations, is that these persons would not be conscious of their ‘impact,’ having been completely engulfed in their respective, evocative aromas for a certain period of time. But, without fail, their passage would get pungently and aromatically added to any enclosed space and be oozed onto all occupants of that space.
I think we may, as Jesus followers, be unaware of our impact, too. I recall the expression ‘familiarity breeds contempt’ – here, in the sense that, after months, maybe years, of walking in the Light (however inconsistent/messy our journey) we can become forgetful (dismissive) of the fact that what we now have and what we now live was once foreign or distasteful to us, maybe even scary. We may gradually take the ‘Glory’ aspect of our Salvation for granted. But even if that be the case, our redeemed souls still long to live again in the thrill of the permanently wide-open door to the throne room of the Kingdom. Our redeemed souls still long to bask again in the assurance of the ever-living-inside-of-us Holy Spirit. Our redeemed souls still long to rejoice again in the always available, Living Word of God. Our redeemed souls still long to luxuriate again in the many, varied styles of worship music at our fingertips. Our redeemed souls still long to celebrate, again, belonging to the church family/community God has provided, both in-person and through electronic means. Maybe any of these longings, when fulfilled, cling to us, making us fruitful in the most oozily delightful way. “We have become the unmistakable aroma of the victory of the Anointed One to God – a perfume of life to those being saved and the odor of death to those who are perishing.” 2 Cor. 2:15 TPT. In Jesus, it’s safe to say, we are all that and s’mores, too! PD
