The Fragrance of My Father

         

               It seems all the great lessons God teaches me these days come from interactions with my children.  For the last few days, as I have given my little guy Daniel hugs and cuddles, I have smelled a certain fragrance.  At first I thought it was the soap we were using on his hair, but I realized it doesn't smell like coconuts at all (our current "flavor").   It smelled very familiar.  And then it hit me.  It was his Dad's smell that has transferred to his son.


    You see lately Daniel has been quite the "Daddy's Boy".  He just HAS to be with Daddy.  At church, in the house, at night as he goes to sleep.  He just has to have him.  Nothing else will do.  Yesterday Dad wanted to get some alone time and outfitted himself for a bike ride.  It would just be 20 minutes or so to get a break.  He put on his helmet and got his bike ready.  Daniel was right behind trying to get his helmet on just like Daddy.  But when he found out he couldn't go because Dad would be on streets that were unsafe, he began to ball.  Streams of tears poured down cheeks and his chubby bottom lip popped out.  It was a touching moment.  Son longed to be with Father.  Nothing else would distract him or fill the void.


    And this morning when I finally realized what this familiar scent flowing from my son's soft hair and skin was, it hit me.  When we want to be with the Father and nothing else will satisfy, we spend time with Him.  When we spend time in Him, we start to smell like Him.  When we get a glimpse of goodness and His tenacious love for us, His fragrance exudes from our life.  And sometimes we may still feel dry, or feel weak in our commitment, but even then His sweet aroma is still present, still reminding us and those around us WHO we belong to.

    When we worship Him through a hard season, pour out our true heart to Him, spend time consuming and pondering His Word, His fragrance is released like incense.  When we put Him first, or tell someone about His love or encounter Him in the place of worship, He is anointing us with a contagious and unstoppable aroma.  When we let Him heal our wounds, erase lies we have believed that have hindered us and just want to be near Him, He fills our life with a penetrating and healing scent that can literally change the atmosphere of a room.  

    So maybe The Gospel is more simple than we thought. Its more about falling in love with a Person than satisfying a long list of "do's and don'ts". When we spend time with our Father and receive His prevailing, unending, unfailing and tender love He marks us with His fragrance, as it says in 2 Corinthians 2:14-15:

    "But thanks be to God, who always puts us on display in Christ, and spreads through us in every place the scent of knowing Him.  For to God we are the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing."