The Fragrance of Chocolate!
This past week, Kim and I attended a pastor’s conference at the Hershey Lodge and Conference Center. Of course, everything at the hotel was Hershey chocolate themed. When you checked in, you received a chocolate bar for each person. There were Hershey images all over the hotel—e.g. Hershey bars, Reese’s cups, etc. The wallpaper in the bathroom was decorated with Hershey kisses. The little bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and lotion were all cocoa-infused. And, as you walked through the hallway you couldn’t help but pick up the smell of cocoa that I believe was infused through the airducts. In fact, just about wherever you went you picked up the fragrance of chocolate.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I love chocolate (especially dark, which they did not give you!). But I wasn’t quite sure I wanted my body and hair to smell like chocolate. And, after a couple of days I was done with the feeling that, at any moment, someone was going to show up and hand me a cup of hot chocolate. Believe it or not, I was getting tired of the fragrance of chocolate.
If you think about it, however, the Hershey company is pretty smart. Unlike many other companies (including churches) that focus primarily on sight and sound, the Hershey company understands the importance of smell (and taste, for that matter). Thus, to give the customer the total Hershey experience, they could not ignore one of the most important factors in the making of chocolate: it’s fragrance. If they were going to immerse their customers in the Hershey chocolate experience, they had to find a way to touch our sense of smell. And that, whether we liked it or not, they did very well.
In a metaphorical way, each of our lives gives off a fragrance—i.e., something that is a bit less obvious than what people see when they look at us or what they hear when we speak. I think you would agree that, each of us has an air or vibe about us that people catch onto—sometimes very quickly. I think you know what I mean. It’s not that uncommon for us to catch the fragrance of that person who comes across as a bit haughty or too cool or on the other hand, quite humble. We quickly catch on to the fragrance or “vibe” that the people around us give off. And the same is true for each of us; we all give forth a fragrance.
In other words, those of us who are followers of Jesus are meant to give forth the fragrance of Jesus through our lives. And that comes about not merely by what people see on the outside of our lives—although that is important. Nor, does it come about merely by what comes out of our mouths—although that is important as well. But in some discreet and subtle ways, our lives ought to emit the person and work of Jesus.
Maybe the question that can be asked of each of us is, what does your life smell like? That is, what is the fragrance of your life that the people around you are picking up on? I hope and pray that my life is such that people around me would catch the fragrance of Jesus! And, I hope and pray the same for you as well.
Have a great day!
- Pastor Tim Harris
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