Mornings hold a special magic for me. No matter the season, each day bears a charm unlike the one before it. As I sit quietly communing with God, often His Presence reduces me to tears. Breathing deep, I inhale the fragrance of Christ into the depths of my soul.
A quick seasonal themed Pinterest search yields not only decor and food ideas, but dozens of essential oil recipes meant to replicate the fragrance of the season.
Supposing this more of a personal preference, I paid little attention to the idea. Until early one morning recently, as I stood outside, a distinct scent captured my sense of smell. Noticing the same scent on subsequent days, I concluded spring was showing off its signature scent.
Perhaps the fragrance of each season offers more than simply a signature scent with which to fill our homes, perhaps the fragrance of Christ meets us in new ways with the change of seasons.
Welcome back to the garden for a time of Garden Grace, where we allow God to reveal Himself through His creation. Once a month we linger together gleaning all He has for us through the beauty of plants, trees, animals and insects. I can’t wait to share my most recent discovery with you!
the fragrance of our days
Chemically sensitive, perfumes make me ill. But beyond my body’s distaste for perfumes, “fake” scents have long been the bane of my existence. I have yet to meet a scented candle which truly smelled as the label indicated, unless of course it was made with essential oils.
Without completely dragging out my soapbox, I will only mention the plethora of scientific evidence for the damaging effects of chemically created scents on the central nervous system resulting in neurotoxicity.
But God blessed us with extraordinary scents from creation possessing healing and nourishing properties for our minds and bodies!
Spending time in the garden reminds me how much God enjoys fragrance. The seasons of spring and summer explode with the wonder of fragrance.
Yet the fragrance of our days consists of much more than pleasant scents from the garden. What was known as Mother Teresa’s daily prayer came to my mind as I lingered outdoors:
“Dear Jesus, help me to spread Your fragrance everywhere I go.
Flood my soul with Your spirit and life.
Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly,
That my life may only be a radiance of Yours.
Shine through me, and be so in me
That every soul I come in contact with
May feel Your presence in my soul.”
the fragrance of christ
Mother Teresa’s words compose a garden prayer of sorts for me. God meets me in powerful ways through His creation, and my time in the garden often finds me lost in His fragrance.
As His fragrance permeates and gently caresses every living thing in my garden, the very essence of Christ pervades my being in an infinite circle of aromatic oneness.
Perhaps the same thought occurred to the Apostle Paul as he penned 2 Corinthians 2:14-15:
“ Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. 15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.”
Diffused by the Father, the fragrance of Christ flows from the depths of our being through us to others and back again as a sweet savor unto Him.
The beauty of this thought so elegantly emerges from Mother Teresa’s prayer: “spreading the fragrance of Christ everywhere we go, possessed so completely by Him, our lives imbue but a radiance of His.”
spreading the fragrance of christ
The question then becomes, “how do we spread the fragrance of Christ everywhere we go?”
Upon reflection, three specific ways of spreading the fragrance of Christ to others becomes apparent:
- Live Surrendered. A daily relinquishing of my will and way to God. Living open without clinging to my agenda, allowing God both to fill and work in me His purpose for my moments.
- Live Spirit-filled. Invite the Holy Spirit to so fill and permeate your soul, no room remains for selfish desires. Living open to the Holy Spirit’s guiding, willing only for others to see Christ in you.
- Live Sacrificed. Become a living sacrifice daily as you deny self in all its forms, seeking instead to put God first, while serving others. Seeking God’s will above your own in joyful obedience.
When we live surrendered, Spirit-filled, and sacrificed, we spread the fragrance and knowledge of Christ in every place we travel.
Becoming a sweet savor of Christ unto God the Father through every season of our lives.
Perhaps one of the delights of each season’s signature scent is the lovely reminder that as we breathe deeply of the sweet fragrance of Christ in each new season, we likewise breathe out His beautiful fragrance to others everywhere we go.
I greatly admire Mother Teresa but had never read this prayer. Thank you for sharing it! I loved this beautiful reflection on spring. It’s my favorite season. Praying I share the fragrance of Christ today!
Tammy, Mother Teresa truly blesses me with her wisdom, and this prayer is one of my very favorites! Thank you for sharing the fragrance of Christ through your writing and testimony!
Donna, just reading those words, ‘the fragrance of Christ’ bring a wave of restful peace over my soul. i am calmed and comforted by the knowledge of who He is. thank you for taking me there this evening.
You know, Linda, they do that for me too. As if I am breathing in new life…complete peace and rest!
What a wonderful thought – seasonal scents. Joining you in prayer, Donna, to be a sweet fragrant aroma that leaves the fragrance of Christ everywhere we go.
Lisa, I was delighted to consider how the fragrance of Christ can come to us in different ways in each season. But ultimately what Joy to share that fragrance with others!
Season is my word for this year Donna, so this post was particularly interesting to me as I’ve never really put a great deal of thought into the seasonal fragrances!
As I read this post I can smell the beautiful fragrance of the last of our Frangipani on our tree out front. Sweet & fresh, just as Jesus is!
Blessings, Jennifer
Jennifer, I enjoyed sitting with the idea of each season bringing the fragrance of Christ to us, as a reminder to share Him with others. How I wish I was there with you to enjoy the unique fragrance of the Frangipani!
Donna,
I’ve linked this post to my recent post of which you inspired…🙂
Blessings, Jennifer
Thank you, Jennifer, for mentioning this post within your recent post. Praise God He blessed and inspired you here!
Hi Donna. I just read your blog post about the fragrance of Christ and it was really beautiful. I love how you connected the scents of each season to the idea of spreading the fragrance of Christ in our lives. It’s such a powerful message and one that I needed to hear today. I also appreciated your tips on living surrendered, Spirit-filled, and sacrificed. It’s not always easy to do, but it’s definitely worth striving for. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and insights, they really resonated with me.
In light of the modern-day emphasis on self-care and prioritizing one’s own needs and desires, how can one reconcile the idea of sacrificing oneself for (or to?)God and others, while also recognizing the importance of taking care of oneself?
Aritha, praise God you enjoyed these words today and God spoke to your heart in a “fragrant” way! I truly long to live the kind of life which spreads His fragrance to others. While not always easy to do, our willingness becomes action as the Spirit leads.
I love your question wrestling with self-care and how it fits with sacrificing ourselves for God and others. I love the example of a flight attendant reminding us we must put our own oxygen masks on FIRST, before helping others. Taking good care of ourselves honors God because we are created in His image, and our bodies are the temple of the Lord. We also then have the ability to care for others when we ourselves are nurtured physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
I like to refer to Romans 12:1, offering ourselves as living sacrifices, basically doing life in obedience to God offering Him our bodies, talents, and resources to then also help others. But again, we cannot do that if we neglect ourselves, or try to be martyrs.
Donna, this post is just beautiful! I had never read the daily prayer of Mother Teresa but am now writing it down to save. I have been sitting here since early morning enjoying having the windows open – the breeze, the smell of spring, and the sounds of birds have truly filled my senses and soul with an appreciation of our God. Praying the Lord uses my life (our lives) as a sweet fragrance which points others to Christ. Your life is surely one such fragrance diffused through your writing, sweet friend! I so appreciate your words!
Thank you, Joanne, for your kind words! Praise God you found such Joy here today! The first time I heard Mother Teresa’s prayer I was so touched by it; I have used it many times. It truly sounds as though you were enjoying a magical morning with the Lord breathing deep of the Fragrance of Christ. You likewise spread His fragrance through your words and testimony to all, I know I am blessed by you too!