Sensing Relationship

(copied from my 360.yahoo.com blog dated 1/9/08)

Last Sunday during Communion my senses were tickled by the scent of my one year old. She had just come in from the playground. It was a damp day, overcast. The playground was full of brown leaves that would normally crunch under foot, but because of the rain were soft. As is my custom, I gently put my nose behind her ear to feel her soft hair and her soft skin and to breath in that sweet baby scent. On this day, however, she smelled of wet fall leaves and damp earth. My heart fluttered and lept because I felt even more close to her than usual. Maybe she felt it too because she gave me a big hug. Then my three year old grabbed me around the leg and I sensed that same outdoor fragrance.

All week long the memory of that scent has come back to me when least expected. Despite difficulties with other relationships, there is peace in knowing that my children love me completely, trust me and know me so incredibly well.

There are other scents that bring me to a similar place. I see God woven throughout each scent.

When my husband comes home from work, trods through the house weary from the days effort and leans over to kiss me, I smell diesel fuel and sweat. While I don't go around craving the scent of diesel, the fragrance reminds me of how hard he works to provide for his wife and children. At those times I feel grateful to God and overwhelmed at my husband's love for me.

When I was a child, I remember my father smelling of Old Spice every Sunday. He would shave and then put on his suit for church. To this day, I think he still uses that aftershave. The scent invokes a feeling of stability or confidence that my father will always lead his family to be faithful followers of Jesus Christ.

Just this week, I was prayed over by the elders of our church. They anointed me with oil and interceded for me as the leader of a church ministry. The scent of the oil stayed with me all night long. I felt as though God the Father had broken a vile of his most precious oil and poured it over my head and said, "You are mine and I will keep you in my care always. Do not worry about the future of this ministry. Trust me."

Waiting to receive the bread and the wine that Sunday morning and the feeling of closeness to my child brought me to a deeper reverence and made the experience of Communion even that much more meaningful. I encourage each person reading this blog to consider what a relationship with the Lord might smell like (damp earth, sweet oil or, yes, even diesel fuel). Take that scent with you this week. Become wrapped up in daily communion with Christ. Be reminded that no matter what happens...

" The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23