A Fragrant Aroma, Or Just a Big Stink?

Of our five human senses (not including the so-called “sixth sense” some people seem to have), the sense of smell is perhaps the most underappreciated. And yet, I can’t count the number of times a fragrance or aroma has awakened old memories for me. 

To this day I can remember the enticing smell of my mom’s lemon meringue pie or Hungarian nut rolls fresh out of the oven. One of my first girlfriends used to wear a particularly appealing cologne. For years afterward, whenever I caught that familiar whiff emanating from someone, my thoughts would briefly return to her. For some people there’s nothing more invigorating than the smell of fresh paint.

 

Or course, not all smells are created equal. Sometimes when the trash hasn’t been taken out as promptly as it should, the unpleasing odor serves as a reminder. Have you ever walked across your yard and received the odiferous alert that you just stepped in the droppings of the neighbor’s dog? Or you’ve grabbed a carton of milk out of the refrigerator and before you can pour it on your cereal, a quick sniff confirms it’s gone sour?

 

Have you ever considered that the sense of smell has spiritual implications? The Scriptures seem to suggest that subconsciously people can “smell” the presence of Jesus Christ in us as believers?

 

According to 2 Corinthians 2:14-16, that’s the case both literally and figuratively: “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life….” 

In his devotional book, Grace Notes, author Philip Yancey alluded to this in recalling “the old-fashioned atomizer” women used prior to refinements in spray technology. Using the atomizer, he noted, women would squeeze a rubber bulb, propelling droplets of perfume through the fine holes at the other end. 

 

“A few drops suffice for a whole body; a few pumps change the atmosphere in a room. That is how grace should work…. It doesn’t convert the entire world or an entire society, but it does enrich the atmosphere,” Yancey observed.

 

The question is, as followers of Christ do we give off a fragrant aroma of His grace – or do we just create a big stink?

 

As the passage in 2 Corinthians points out, the “smell” others sense coming from us can differ according to where they are spiritually. We are “the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved…the fragrance of life.” However, for “those who are perishing,” we seem more like “the smell of death,” even if they might not be consciously aware of it.

 

This might be one reason we sometimes hear people comment, upon learning of our faith in Christ, “I knew there was something different about you.” Perhaps it’s only subliminal recognition, but Ephesians 5:1-2 admonishes us to, “Be imitators of God, therefore, as beloved children, and walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant sacrificial offering to God.”

 

People sometimes respond in different ways to the same smells. For instance, some people love chicken liver and the smell of it cooking. Not me. I love the smell of cooked cabbage, but have a son-in-law who hates it. One reason there are so many varieties of perfume is that one person finds a certain fragrance enticing while another finds it repelling.

 

In a similar way, I suspect some atheists and agnostics react so negatively to even the mention of Jesus because of the “smell,” while for those of us know Him, nothing could be more appealing. When 2 Corinthians 5:17 declares, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” this might include receiving new “noses” or a transformed sense of “smell.”

 

We can’t control how others react to “the fragrance of the knowledge of [Christ].” As we’re told, for some it’s “the smell of death.” What we can control, however, is that what repels them is not our words, attitudes and actions as His “ambassadors,” to use the term from 2 Corinthians 5:20. 

 

When we have the opportunity to interact with non-believers, are we kind and compassionate, reflecting the Lord’s grace? Or do we come across as judgmental and hateful? Through our lives do we demonstrate integrity, humility, joy, patience and the other “fruit of the Spirit," or does our behavior seem to contradict what our lips profess? Maybe we need to inspect the contents of our “atomizers.”

What Do Others See As Your Identity?

Logos communicate an image or idea instantly.

In business, identity is critical. We see it with quickly recognizable logos – for example, Nike, KFC, BMW, or New York Yankees. Business cards are designed to instantly convey who you are and what you do. When a company comes up with a unique product, they take legal steps to establish their trademark. And more and more these days, enterprises become extremely protective of their brand, who they are as a whole – think NASCAR, or Disney.

What do you think of when you see this silhouette?
What do people think when they see your "logo"?

Have you ever considered, even if you don’t own a business or head a company, that you also have a “logo,” “business card,” “trademark” and “brand” by which others can assess who you are and what you stand for?

Recently I read the following that speaks to that: “Your smile is your logo, your personality is your business card, how you leave others feeling after an experience with you becomes your trademark.” And I would add, “whether others aspire to be like you is your brand.”

Think about it: Whenever we have an encounter with someone else, whether in the workplace, neighborhood, supermarket, school, even a ball field, we make an impression. And impressions are lasting, sometimes indelible. People associate us with an image we’ve created – in essence, our logo, our business card, our trademark, and our brand.

So what does your personal “logo” look like? Is it a smile that makes others smile as well, or a frown that darkens someone’s otherwise sunny day? When people look at your “business card,” are they drawn to you as a person they want to hang around with – or when they see you approach, do they look for somewhere to hide?

I’ve been around people whose “trademark” was extremely appealing. They had the innate capacity to turn my frown upside-down. There have been others, however, who made the Grim Reaper seem like the life of the party. And there have been some individuals who, even though they’d be embarrassed if I said so, exhibited qualities I greatly admired and wished to emulate in my own life. In other words, I appreciated their “brand.”

A logo, trademark, even a
business card, make up
a brand - literally and
figuratively.

You might be thinking – as I do – that's easier for some people to pull off than others. Energetic, effervescent, gregarious people seem to attract others like magnets without much effort. Folks swarm around them, thinking, “I’ll have what she’s having.” What about introverts (and I’m one) who have to labor at engaging effectively with others. Are our logo, business card, trademark and brand doomed from the start?

For followers of Jesus, we will always have the personalities – winsome or otherwise – we’ve been hard-wired with from birth, but we have an advantage: He can, and desires, to manifest His life through us. Reading about His life in the gospels, we find Jesus had people flocking to Him all of the time. “News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases…. Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him” (Matthew 4:24-25).

That’s nice, but what does it have to do with us and how we interact with people around us? Actually, it has a lot to do with it. Because, as Galatians 2:20 says of each believer in Jesus, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”

If that’s true, what’s the result? Simply that when people encounter us, they should feel – consciously or subconsciously – that they are in His presence as well. As the Scriptures tell us, “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life” (2 Corinthians 2:14-15). 

Would people say you exhibit the “fragrance of Christ”? If people were to describe your logo, trademark or brand, would they say that Jesus Christ is a significant part of it? Is He an integral part of your identity, of who you are?