I enjoy going to "Open House" opportunities. When tickets go on sale for "House Tours", if I'm available, I'm quick to gather a couple of friends and together we head out for a day of inspiration. I love seeing how others decorate, often gaining simple, inexpensive insights on how I can rearrange things I already own to make my home feel fresh.
Have you noticed one of the tricks of the trade when you're checking out a home, whether for purchase or pleasure? Often scent is used to make the atmosphere more welcoming. Scent can actually be used to control behaviour. Even a subtle aroma can have a powerful affect. It can stimulate feelings of excitement, relaxation and happiness. Real estate agents are wise in suggesting homeowners have a gentle, fragrant candle burning, often in the kitchen, when prospective buyers visit. When used strategically, these aromas can greatly impact our response.
Think about it. Whether you wish to admit it or not, homes have odors. I just have to mention a couple of words and immediately you'll know what I mean. Pets. Cultural spices. Smoking. I could continue, but you get what I'm saying. Maybe that's why the verse from John took my attention. "The house was filled with the fragrance."
The choice of the word fragrance was no doubt intentional. It means a pleasant or delicate, sweet smell. It's not overpowering. It's gentle. It comes to our sense of scent in a tender, non-threatening way. It's lovely and agreeable. We desire to breathe it in, letting it fill us with delight.
What type of fragrance fills your home? What perfume permeates each room? In John 12, Mary poured out her heart in an offering to the Lord and the scent suffused the entire house. It was fragrance that arose not only from incense but intimacy. Mary's gift is the fragrance of worship. It's the aroma of one abandoning her life to her Saviour. It's beautiful. Desirous. Memorable.
Years ago, my husband gave me a framed verse of word art. The word "HOME" was written in the forefront, but inlayed behind were the following words:
"If these walls could speak of things they have seen...of things that they remember well...Stories of love, gatherings of Family and Friends...laughter. If these rooms could talk they would share joyful tales of sunsets at dinner...of children playing hide and seek. If these window panes were eyes they would have seen it all...Each tear, each sigh, each hug and every smile. Every dream there is to live. If this house could show you the lives that take part within these walls...It would display unconditional love, unforgettable memories, unending moments forever tucked away...That's what these walls would say."
May our homes be filled with the fragrance of the Lord as we offer our lives to Him. The spiritual scent of our home depends on us. Those devoted to Jesus will have an attractive aroma that others will desire to inhale deeply. Take a breath right now. Is it there? Do you smell the fragrance of sacrifice, unfailing love, forgiveness and abundant life? As the rooms of our life yield more and more to Christ those who enter will be met with the aroma of His love and desire to know Him more.
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