Carrying Fragrance

A couple of years ago one of our daughters moved to the USA for a year with her husband. They had been living with us for a few months and we had spent a lot of time with them so we missed them when they left, especially in the first few weeks. During their absence, they had lent us their car and our daughter’s perfume filled the car with such a strong and beautiful aroma that it made us feel like she was still there! It was strangely comforting and it got me thinking about fragrance. The fragrance that we carry can leave a lingering impact on the places where we have been. The fragrance in the car lasted some weeks before it completely faded. But eventually, it did go. 

There is a parallel here as believers with our relationship with the Lord. 2 Corinthians 2:14 says:

"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."

What a beautiful picture it is that He uses us to spread this fragrance everywhere as we walk triumphantly through life with Him. The fragrance of the knowledge of Him! 

Perhaps our understanding of the word knowledge is limited. We can think of it as an accumulation of facts and information. However Psalm 139 talks about us being fully known by Him when referring to His knowledge of us, so equally His intention for us is for an ever-increasing revelation of who He is. 

Jesus relationship with his father is a picture of what is intended for us. He expresses in John 16 how the holy spirit will lead us to experience such a measure of this knowledge of God: 

"But when the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you."

What a profound relationship this is! This is the kind of knowledge that will spread His fragrance. 

Paul also reflects on this explaining how our relationship with Jesus leads us to limitless opportunities of discovery in Colossians 2:2-3:

"My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."

If all the fullness of the deity dwells in Christ (V9) and we have been invited to discover that fulness through our relationship with Him then what are we waiting for! What an invitation! 

And yet there are so many distractions in life that cause us to only enjoy a fraction of what is intended for us. Many of those distractions are genuinely important things that we need to attend to or difficulties that have invaded our circumstances and brought us significant challenges. 

However, there are a whole bunch of other distractions that aren’t driven by crisis or the intense routines of life. They are equally challenging because they are our choices and they expose the intensity of our desire for a greater revelation of this invitation. That ever-present battle between the Spirit and the flesh! Do we choose to refresh ourselves with that box set or should we just step aside and explore what it looks like to engage our hearts with the One who truly revives our souls! 

We often have a tendency to compartmentalise the different parts of our lives and squeeze God into the parts we mistakenly call spiritual when the invitation is for every part of us and every aspect of life to be permeated with Him in His fulness - an abundant ‘Life to the full’ that Jesus has promised. We can foolishly think that the most honest parts of us are somehow hidden and would pollute the relationship if they were exposed. Yet of course, nothing is hidden and in the reality of our messiest places we can experience the greatest amounts of His grace and love towards us. Transparency in any marriage is a foundation for intimacy and is fundamental in our heart connection with our God too. 

In Song of Songs, the bride is described as a locked up garden that is yet to be known. He loves her even though he doesn’t yet fully know her and will have a lifetime to discover more about her. What a beautiful picture of relationship. Where there is mystery, there is fascination. Once we lose that sense of discovery then the relationship becomes dull. In the Colossians scripture, Jesus is described as the mystery of God through which The Father is revealed. Yet while the invitation to discover Him remains real, God will never force himself on us. He gives us choice every time, waiting for us to take a step closer. 

The garden metaphor in this book develops into another reference to fragrance. The bridegroom describes it as an incredibly fruitful place where the trees and plants that grow have strong and powerful, fragrances. It conjures up an almost overwhelming aroma, full of alluring variety that pleased the aesthetic senses. It makes the suggestion that all of this fragrance and fruitfulness can be released once the relationship is explored. We carry this fragrance and the strength of His aroma lingers on us everywhere we go. It is the consequence of the relationship. The bride chooses to engage with the relationship “so that the fragrance may be spread abroad” (4:16) 

The fruit of our relationship with God is not only for our own pleasure and delight but also to impact the world. We are called to be fruitful and John 15 beautifully expresses how this flows from a place of abiding in Him. God’s priority is the enjoyment of the relationship and yet at the same time, there is a desire which we all innately share to be fruitful. This place of abiding is in itself totally fulfilling but there will be a fragrance and fruitfulness that is released from us as a result of it. We are changed by spending time in God’s presence. 

Equally, when we aren’t walking in a close relationship with Him we probably emit a different kind of odour at times! The flesh can get a bit stinky! The fragrance which we release to those around us reflects all of our choices and the places we have been. Sadly we even fall into the trap of making religious choices to tick the right boxes when actually what our Father wants is that our desire for this relationship is our motivator and that it isn’t by trying but by enjoying that our garden spills over into life. 

So what is our choice of fragrance?

How shall we respond to the invitation to know God in this way?

Maybe if we see our challenges as opportunities to share more honestly and to make ourselves more vulnerable then we will become open to receive the wisdom and understanding that will enable us to be led in the triumphal procession referred to in 2 Corinthians 2. The world is desperate for this beauty and we have been chosen to reveal it.