Favorite Fragrance

 Year 8-Day 236: Today, I am grateful for favorite fragrances.

Certain smells take us back in time or impact our mood. Perfumes have a powerful connection to our memories.  

I have a super sensitive nose. Before the fragrance market exploded, I could recognize most fragrances on men and women. The market today is vast, so my scent recognition is limited to the ones I know, love ... or don't like. I like fresh, clean scents that make people say, "You smell good." 

I've long been a fan of Philosophy's Amazing Grace line. They have managed to bottle fresh and clean life few other companies. I never tire of Amazing Grace, but their newer Ballet Rose version is my current go to scent. The hints of rose whisper more than shout. It is definitely a favorite. 

Fragrances take us back to a memory or a place. Love's Musky Jasmine was a favorite in high school. Anais Anais, Halston and Lauren were college scents. Palmoa Picasso was my 90's signature scent. Clinque Happy was the alternate for years when I needed a change. 

With the plethora of fragrances available today, I am still picky. Narciso Rodriguez is a newer scent on my list of faves. It has a blend of scents hitting all the right notes in my opinion. The true test of a new perfume is if The Love of My Life can tolerate it. Some scents make him sneeze or give him a headache. He really likes the spicy notes in a fragrance like Burberry or Opium. Love Spell makes him sneeze. 

Most of us want to smell good, right? We don't want to stink. We want our scent to be a pleasant memory when we leave a room. I've always liked the passage that talks about us being "the aroma of Christ". Take a closer look. What it really says is we are the "aroma of Christ to God" among those who are being saved.

"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." -2 Corinthians 2:15-16 

During the season that Randy was in Peoria and I was finishing college, I loved keeping one of his sweatshirts. Why? Because, it smelled like him. That scent on a shirt made me feel closer to him when he was far away. 

We are the aroma of Christ to God. We leave our scent wherever we go. Are we the sent of Christ wherever we go? Are we leaving a fragrance that leads to life? Can our Heavenly Father smell Jesus on the people we encounter when we walk away. 

That, dear friend, is a challenge for a Monday... and all through the week. Is the scent of Christ the smell we leave behind?  I am fairly sure it is God's favorite fragrance. Can others smell His amazing grace?

Today, I am grateful for favorite fragrances.