unexpected fragrance

"But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient or these things? For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ" (2 Corinthians 2:13-17, ESV).

Unexpected fragrance. That's what arrived at my door yesterday. It was a normal day in Houston for me. Massive amounts of projects lay in piles around my home office, in my computer, and at the house. Every morning I am in the unfortunate habit of grabbing my smart phone to see what has happened in eastern time (EST) while I slept. I admit I often moan. It is not all bad but it does draw me to my Bible to make sense of it all. Yesterday, the day started the same but sometime in the morning, a carrier arrived with the most unexpected vase of beautiful flowers from my friend and co-laborer in Christ, Tracy. What a great blessing! Tracy, who has the gift of exhortation, always gives words of encouragement that come with the fragrance of Christ. This time, they came with physical fragrance. This photo doesn't even do them justice. They look beautiful and smell wonderful.

Today, my actual birthday, I woke up to the constant buzzing of my phone. It has been buzzing all morning. This morning, I feel the fragrance coming from it because of the hundreds who have sent me a simple birthday message on Facebook and email. The phone has been ringing and I am blessed beyond what any one person should be blessed. Tracy called and gave me this verse in 2 Corinthians 2:14 (listed above). One of my favorites. There she goes again, sharing the fragrance of Christ when I least expect it. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone for your simple words of hope in the phrase, Happy Birthday. You have blessed my soul!

All this has me remembering how simple it is to encourage someone. It can be a special day greeting or just a smile and word of encouragement we give to someone in passing. We may not think much about it, but it can bless people in remarkable ways. Let's step it up a notch and share the fragrance of Christ today. Let's look for someone who would least expect it. With Valentine's Day around the corner, let's see who we can share the love of the Lord with, and not worry about where we are in our relationships.

May we be the fragrance of Jesus' love to others this very day. You are loved and prayed for.