Are You Living a Fragrant Life?

And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. (John 12:3, NIV)

The mountain of laundry beckoned to me, begging me to fold each piece and put it away. Sighing, I pushed away my half-eaten breakfast and started in on the pile. The twins flew past me, one pushing the other in an empty laundry basket, heads tossed back and laughter erupting from their pint-sized bodies. I cracked a smile at their energy, half wishing they could share some with me. The girls tidied their bedroom so we could quickly finish chores and play outdoors in the glorious, warm sunshine.

The pile of clothes slowly transformed into neatly folded stacks. Just before I called the girls to help put them away, I noticed silence had fallen over the house. I no longer heard little boy laughter, and I knew this meant trouble.

Hushed whispers from the kitchen directed my steps.

“Girls!” I called, coming around the kitchen corner and colliding with my daughter.

“Mama! The twins—” she exclaimed, rubbing her forehead where she’d bumped into me.

“What is that smell?” I said, peering past her in search of the source.

One glance at the counter confirmed that the twins had smashed the eggs placed there earlier by their dad, only the eggs were rotten. The putrid stench filled the room, and we doubled over, gagging and gasping. The smell was unlike anything I’d ever encountered, burning my nostrils and threatening to close my throat.

Black and green yolk dripped from the edge of a dirty bowl onto the counter. The girls grabbed the remaining eggs to throw into the woods, then rushed the twins out to the porch so I could clean up the mess. Dirty dishes from the night before filled the sink, now with rotten yolks clinging to them. I washed them in hot, sudsy water then sanitized the counters and mopped the floor. Grabbing a lighter, I ran through the house lighting every candle, hoping to get rid of the putrid odor.

Thirty minutes later, the girls came back inside, complaining instantly about the smell. I was surprised. I’d thought the odor was gone. I’d grown accustomed to the stench while I was cleaning.

It made me think of how our lives as Christians can be pristine and pure, a perfumed offering to the Lord, as long as we are spending time with him and in his Word. But a late awakening, a skipped quiet time, or a missed church service could affect our integrity. Slapping the snooze button a few days in a row results in rushed mornings and skipped quiet times. You hear an unkind word but instead of thinking on what is good, pure, and righteous, you dwell on the gossip. Perhaps you didn’t feel immediately convicted, and you painted someone else in a negative light. A series of days where we miss our sacred time with Jesus shifts our thought patterns. Before we know it, we’ve grown accustomed to the putrid odor of sin, and we’ve lost our sweet fragrance.

It’s easy to fall into sin and not realize our actions are affecting others. The more we surround ourselves with sin, the less pleasant we smell, and we don’t even realize it.

John 12:3 says, “Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume” (NIV).

I love this picture of Mary at the feet of Jesus, using what is likely the equivalent of her life’s savings in expensive perfume to wash the feet of Jesus with her hair. The house was filled with the sweet, fragrant smell. While others complained about her waste, we see differently. We see the devotion and adoration, the indescribable connection and deep affection of Mary. This was the beautiful fragrance of Mary. It affected everyone around her and continues to impact us today.

[Tweet “The key to a fragrant life is following Jesus.”]Have you meditated on Scripture today, drinking in the timeless words, letting the Holy Spirit speak straight to your heart? Have you prayed to him today, confessing your wrong thoughts and actions, trusting him with your past and your future? Have you adored him today?

We can either be a fragrant offering to the Lord and to those around us, influencing them to seek a closer relationship with Jesus, or we can carry a stench, fouling up our own life and the lives of others.

Which kind of life will you choose–perfumed or putrid?

Amanda Wells is the proud wife of a smokin’ hot third generation farmer, and they have taken Psalm 127:5 literally, raising their quiverful of six kids on the farm. She loves baking, reading, writing, and arithmetic (kidding!). Amanda writes about faith, homeschooling on the farm, and family life at farmwyfe.com.