Nothing screams “fall” more in the south than tobacco barns! I am sorry if you are not a Southerner, but when you are driving down the road and you see those barns smoking and can smell the fire, you know that the seasons are changing. Some people, even in the South, do not enjoy the smell, but for me it is a smell that provides memories and is pleasing. I can remember my first two years of college as I would drive my Ford Focus to classes almost daily, I would trudge along this route until I came to a point where I could see a tobacco barn on the left-hand side of the road. Being the weird person that I am, I would roll down my windows and try to capture some of the “smell” in my car. I wanted to savor that smell as long as I could. While I greatly enjoy the smell, for others, the smell is not pleasing and I am positive they do not roll down their windows hoping to capture it in their vehicles.
“Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. 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. And who is adequate for such a task as this?” -2 Corinthians 2:14b-16
As we live our lives as believers, we should live in such a way to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere we go. As we are doing this, we should present ourselves and our message as a sweet perfume, or as a Christ-like fragrance. We can only control how we live our lives and present our message, but we cannot be in control of how the hearers perceive or accept the message. For some, they will accept it as a life-giving perfume and see our lives and want to capture it for themselves. Just as I drove down that road and rolled down my window hoping for a few more minutes of that smell, some people will “smell our lives” and want to know more. When we share, or as we live our lives in front of unbelievers, there will be times when people “want what we have.” However, there will also be times when our message and life will be like a dreadful smell of death to the hearers. They are not ready to accept Christ’s message and, to them, our mission and purpose is not pleasant. Just as the owners of the tobacco barn cannot determine how those passing by will perceive their smell, we as believers cannot determine how those passing by in our lives will perceive or accept Christ. The amazing thing is, though, this does not stop those farmers from firing tobacco in their barns year after year. They cannot change how people perceive it; they can only continue to do their job. As Christians, we cannot change the way people perceive our message, but we can only continue to share the gospel with our words and our lives, hoping that at some point someone will smell it as a life-giving fragrance.
This blog was written by Amy Carrico: Author of Making Moments Matter Blog
Last Updated on September 9, 2024
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