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A wonderful aroma

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I often knew when the request was coming. It was when my mother started making her gravy (pasta sauce to those of you who are not Italian). She would ask me to run to the garden and pick some basil for her. The basil was planted next to the parsley, and I could never tell the difference between the two. So, I always had to ask the question, “is it the one that smells?” That was how I could tell the difference between the two herbs. The basil had a strong aroma, and if I poked my nose close to it, I could tell which one to pick. Looking back, I remember how I hated going back to the garden to pick the basil. I had to fight off the grasshoppers and bees that came way too close to me, and caused me to move about in spastic motions just to avoid a dangerous encounter. It was a cautious walk to the garden, and a mad dash out of there. Sometimes I would not pick enough and my mom would send me back to gather more. Anxiety!

Today, I grow my own basil, and the smell brings me back and fills me with an overwhelming sense of goodness. I can tell the difference between it and the parsley. I don’t have to smell it like I did when I was a child. As I break a leaf off the plant and bring it up to my nose, I relish in its scent. When I wash and cut the leaves apart, the scent grows even more intense. I am in heaven! The Bible says that we too have an aroma. “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…”2 Corinthians 2:15. Our struggles as well as our joys can be an aroma of Christ to those around us. When we go through our trials and become broken, we can become the aroma of Christ to others. When we share the joy in our lives, we can be the aroma of Christ. We draw people to Christ by the character traits we exude through our walk with him, through our broken times and our times of rejoicing. Our “aroma” can cause people to run as well, as sometimes the light and truth of God is rejected by the world. Be a wonderful aroma to those around you so that they are drawn to the goodness of the Lord.

Blessings to you along the journey,

Re

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