The Sweet Smell of Success
To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. 2 Corinthians 2:16
Skunks are not top on my list of cute and cuddly pets, but others think they are adorable. I tend to like them in a picture frame. To me, they became notorious villains many years ago. My dad had bought a new car and was driving my mother and another couple home from Moretti’s in Elmira. They had had a wonderful evening filled with laughter, stories, and great food. On the way home, dad rounded the bend and there was an entire skunk family in the road. He couldn’t stop in time and hit them. The smell was so bad that he had to sell his brand-new car for next to nothing! Glenda Ferguson (All God’s Creatures) shares a sweeter story about success.
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I woke up to the distinct odor of skunk. The smell wasn’t that unpleasant at first. But as I investigated outside, near the bedroom window, the sent increased in dreadfulness. As I approached our underground cellar, the odor rose up from the wooden staircase that led down to the closed door.
I needed reinforcements. After a bit of pleading on my part, my husband, Tim, tiptoed down the unsteady steps. Sure enough, he found the animal trapped. The stuck skunk smelled freedom and dashed up the steps to safety. As I observed the freed animal scuttling across our yard, I admired its shiny luxurious fur coat. I was tempted to follow…but didn’t. That is the last I saw of its ebony and ivory-striped posterior with its tail dragging on the ground. After the smell dissipated, I commended the skunk’s effective rescue plan. After all, its distress signal was so successful that I sniffed the seriousness of the situation right away.
The episode was a warning to me about how neglecting one part of my Christian life may seem fine at first. I didn’t mind the skunk smell at first, but after several large doses, I longed for fresh air. I might skip my Bible reading once… or twice. Or not attend a church service…or two. However, after a prolonged period, I am in distress and long for the support of other believers.
In 2 Corinthians 2:14-15 (NLT), Paul describes the Christian life of studying Scripture and spreading the Word as being a perfume to God, a wonderful “fragrance rising up.” I’m thankful God provides the “life-giving perfume” of hope and freedom, a sweet smell indeed.
Dear Father, please use me to be an example to others so that I might produce a burst of Christlike fragrance to those who desire to be rescued. AMEN.
Photo: Michael Johnston