a sweet aroma

i peeled back the layer of skin, exposing bright, juicy orange wrinkles. a strong, pungent odor caught my nosehair. fresh citrus, causing my nose to sting and my eyes to tear.

i mentally compared it with the smell, or lack thereof, of clementines i'd had just a couple weeks ago. these orbs were not fresh. when i peeled back their layers, i was not overwhelmed by their scent.

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i thought about smells. and about our fragrance. and i asked myself if in this holiday season i smelled strongly of Jesus.

in a time where it's easy to get caught up with thoughts of needing to buy this or that, having to bake and cook treats and side dishes for party after party, to decorate our home to perfection, to display flawlessly wrapped gifts, to smell dull with the hustle and bustle of the season, i pray we will remember why it is we celebrate Christmas.

that we would bask in His fragrance and carry it with us through our days. that He would be our greatest gift this year. that the aroma of Jesus would radiate from us.

i pray that you will think often of Him. of how it is because of Jesus, His descent to earth, His life as a man, His death and His resurrection that we are filled with hope and joy during Christmastime.

there's a song i used to sing as a child that filled my heart as i ate my clementine. i hope the beauty of Jesus fills your life this Christmas, friends.

may the fragrance of Jesus fill this place [may the fragrance of Jesus fill this place]

may the fragrance of Jesus fill this place [lovely fragrance of Jesus]

rising from the sacrifice

of lives laid down in adoration

may the glory of Jesus fill His church [may the glory of Jesus fill His church]

may the glory of Jesus fill His church [radiant glory of Jesus]

shining from our faces

as we gaze in adoration

may the beauty of Jesus fill my life [may the beauty of Jesus fill my life]

may the beauty of Jesus fill my life [perfect beauty of Jesus]

fill my thoughts, my words, my deeds

my all I give in adoration

[-graham kendrick]

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 [2 corinthians 2:14-15]