Did you know Love has a smell?? Sometimes it smells delightful. Other times, it can smell downright horrible. Love often smells when we give it. It can also smell when we receive it. Sometimes Love smells so wonderful that we want more and more of it, like a dessert we can’t stop eating. Other times, however, its awful odor so overpowers us that we try to run from it. But it’s never wise to run from genuine Love.
Not following me? I’ll explain by sharing the smells of Love in my life today as I gave and received it…
Stains from minerals in our water seem especially pernicious in our Parsonage Master shower. My wife likes a clean home. But the smell of most any cleaning agent bothers her nose. She left for school with our boys this morning and won’t be back until this afternoon. As soon as the garage door closes, I spray enough stuff in our tiny shower to disinfect a hospital wing, scrub for a while, crack a window, and shut the door. I’ll rinse it out this afternoon.
The strong smells filled my nose, rather than my wife’s. She is loved.
A reminder dinged on my phone. I need to buy bread and salad before Renovation Community’s 5:30 Wednesday dinner tonight. Some of our church family will prepare spaghetti, meat balls, and garlic bread. Any of our food-insecure church family and guests will drive (and be picked up) to receive a big meal and leave with leftovers after our 6pm Wednesday activities.
As they enter our building and microwave their leftovers the next day, the smells of Italian food will fill their nose. They are loved.
I pull out from home with my dog in the backseat. We’re on our way to a park where we walk 3 miles. I see a special-needs friend, on his own daily trip to the grocery store for snacks. I’m normally returning home as he’s returning from the store. But my morning cleaning gave me a late start and I offer him a ride. I quickly crack all the windows. Rancid body odor and the stench of urine fill my van. He exits the vehicle at the store and I immediately inspect the seat, hoping he hadn’t wet himself. Nope. All dry.
But his overpowering smells linger in my van. He is loved.
Our dog and I arrive at my favorite park. He and I need the exercise. But more than that, my soul needs to walk down wooded paths. I need to be surrounded by trees, feel the sunlight bouncing through the leaves, see birds and squirrels hopping around branches, and hear water flowing down the river.
For 3 miles my Heavenly Father restores my soul outdoors while I bask in a symphony of outdoor smells, all created by Him. I am loved
I get back in my van, a gift from a beloved friend several months ago. Our dog (a gift from friends 3 weeks after our first dog died) pants heavily in the backseat. Both are beautiful gifts from my Heavenly Father.
The smells of warm leather seats, Nature, a happy dog, and lingering odors from my special-needs friend fill my nose on the drive home. I am loved.
What are the smells of Love in your life today? Both the good and bad ones may smell entirely different from mine. But pay attention. They are there.
One last thing…
Don’t fall into the trap of only seeking the good smells of Love. For even in its most rancid-smelling forms, Love is still Love. And since “God is Love,” that means He is in both the sweet and the foulest of smells you may encounter (or avoid) today.
