Some friends of mine introduced to me the name of a smell we’re all familiar with: Play.
When a person smells like “play,” they have just come in from playing outside. Play is a sort of grassy dankness and not a body odor smell. It’s not the smell of prepubescent kids who just stink. Rather, it’s a smell indicative of fun that was had in the out of doors. A person who smells like play has been spending time with friends during cool summer evenings. They’ve been having fun trying to catch lightning bugs, playing hide and go seek, or watching the stars. A person who smells like play has added a jacket to shield themselves from the wind coming off the lake or taken their helmet off after riding a quad-runner for hours on end. They’ve flown a kite or walked the dog.
I want to smell like play.
Actually, I want to smell like Jesus.
When someone smells like Jesus, they have been spending a lot of time with the Savior. Smelling like Jesus is a sweet gentleness that inhabits our actions, our words, and all vibes put out by us. A person who smells like Jesus is gracious despite the great number of hurdles they seem to have to jump, patient despite the slow pace surrounding them, and loving despite the fear that surrounds them. Smelling like Jesus does not mean a person is Bible-thumping, quoting scripture to ants, and ignoring the needy ones surrounding them so they can spend time in prayer. When we wreak of Jesus, we use God’s word to heal the suffering and guide those who have been mislead. Jesus-wreakers recognize what Christ means to our fallen world and asks God to give them His eyes so they can see where His Love needs to be spread.
Oh, how I long to smell like Jesus!