Keys to the Kingdom By Carolyn Tucker

When I was a young girl, I thought the fragrance of ‘Evening in Paris‘ was absolutely lovely! Several years ago, I ordered the cobalt-blue bottle of this cologne from ebay just to remember the scent and enjoy the nostalgia. (However, it didn’t smell as good as I thought it did as a kid.) The sense of smell is a powerful instrument for bringing us pleasure or annoyance. I love the fragrance of an iris, but the scent of a skunk is a whole nother ballgame. I’ve been told by friends that my home has its own fragrance. I wasn’t aware of it because I’m used to it. But I know what they’re talking about, as I recall my piano teacher’s living room had the same certain smell every week.

Whether we realize it or not, Christ followers give off a pleasing or offensive scent everywhere we go. Like Pepe’ Le Pew, the “odor-able” French striped skunk, we may not realize we’re giving off a putrid odor that annoys people or causes them to run away from us. Pepe’ was used to his odor, and I think it’s possible that some believers can be so used to their harsh and overly-opinionated personality that they aren’t aware that they’re annoying and their persona stinks to high heaven. Apostle Paul admonishes us to, “Guard your speech. Forsake obscenities and worthless insults; these are nonsensical words that bring disgrace and are unnecessary” (Ephesians 5:4 TPT).

What’s your favorite fragrance? You can’t buy the following perfumes anywhere, but you can possess them in your heart and lavish them on people everyday: Compassion, Love, Hope, Encouragement, Kindness, Gentleness, Understanding, Patience, Goodness, and Empathy. These priceless fragrances display the character of Jesus Christ.

“Thanks be to God, Who in Christ always leads in triumph [as a trophy of Christ’s victory] and through me spreads and makes evident the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere” (2 Corinthians 2:14 AMP). Through the yielded lives of believers, we are to spread the fragrance of God wherever we go. We should live every day as fragrant love spreaders. (There’s more than enough manure spreaders out there.) Just a few positive words of encouragement spoken over a discouraged individual can change his/her outlook and give hope.

“But this beautiful treasure is contained in us — cracked pots made of earth and clay — so that the transcendent character of this power will be clearly seen as coming from God and not us” (2 Corinthians 4:7 VOICE).  Believers must realize that anything good we do only comes from God’s power living in us. We owe it all to Jesus for making it possible to wear the fine fragrances of a renewed life in Him. Although we’re common/imperfect clay jars (created from dust/clay) we possess the fragrance of God in our heart. His sweet fragrance in us will naturally spill out on others as we practice loving on them.

Christ followers need to be aware of how we smell to others. What one person thinks smells good, another can think it stinks. I once worked with a very nice woman, but her cologne fragrance was horridly unpleasant to my nose. Obviously, she thought it was wonderful or she wouldn’t have chosen to wear it. But, to me, it smelled like toilet-bowl cleaner. We need to seriously reevaluate our spiritual fragrance choices to ensure that we’re a sweet and welcoming fragrance to others.

The Key: Don’t be like Pepe’ Le Pew and turn people off because you stink.

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.  1 Peter 4:10

Last week, I shared that I drove five hours to Iowa to sell my books at three different Christian bookstores over three days.  Although I hoped to sell several, that did not happen, but God arranged for me to meet some extraordinary people who taught me much about serving and compassion.

I wrote about how on the first day, Francine, an employee, and I bonded.  She, a tough, determined woman in her 70’s, demonstrated a work ethic I admired.  You needed a box moved?  She jumped in to help.  Books located for a potential customer, phoning in a request?  Francine scoured the store until she found the needed item.  Crates loaded and taken to another store?  In she came with her dolly. There wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do.

I asked Francine questions about her life.  Tough.  Growing up in poverty, she now works jobs for the three bookstores and as a security guard at night.  She had to leave work early that day, she said, because she was making dinner for her church’s youth group that met once a week.  “Would you like to speak to them?” she asked.

When I arrived at her small, country church at 6:30 that evening, I followed the noise into a cellar-type basement where six high schoolers were sitting around a table, laughing and visiting.  Gee, I thought, no cell phones.  I was thrilled by what I was witnessing.  There was Francine, dishing out the stew she had prepared and directing her teens to the homemade cookies resting on the side counter.

Melissa, a teen, volunteered to pray, and a young man, sitting with his back to me, removed his hat.  (I am old enough to be impressed.)  The prayer was sweet and sincere.

We were directed upstairs to the sanctuary area.  It was an old, yet proud, room with hardwood floors, plaster walls, an ancient piano, and this sign on the side wall.  Attendance the previous Sunday: 10.  Money collected: $101.00.  Think about that.  Some pastor, every week, prepares a sermon for 10 people.  One of those 10 probably leads worship.  But they continue, week after week, to do God’s work. Wow!

Francine was a huge part of this church’s survival.  As it turned out, she also, for 27 years, had made cookies for the Blood Bank, and this, my final day “selling” my books in their third store, also was the beneficiary of her benevolence.  She was the one who served cider and her cookies to patrons…the same patrons who avoided me at all costs.  Still, she did her best.  “I want you to meet our visiting author who has come all the way from Kansas,” she said, proudly. “I’ve bought five of her books, four as presents.  I’m on Chapter five of her book, and it’s great.”  I later told her that I needed to hire her as my agent.

We need more Christians like Francine, people who are willing to do whatever it takes to help others succeed.  It wasn’t about numbers.  Every single person she met deserved to be valued.  I left Iowa, not with many book sales, but with clear understanding why I had gone there: to know that God wants my faith to grow.  As usual, He worked in ways I never expected.