Aroma

The street is busy and I politely excuse myself to the woman whose arm I just bumped. I inhale deeply and instead of instantly choking on a cloud of smoke from the man in front of me, my senses are awakened by the aroma of little purple and white flowers- spring has come on my walk to work!
........
I walk out my gate in the morning and the mist brushes over my skin. I walk out to the street and a bus rushes past me leaving fumes and dust to cling to my damp skin. I wrinkle my nose- nothing like a fresh start to a new day. Somehow it just does not seem so "fresh".
I wait for my bus to arrive and when it does I am squeezed out of the doorway of the bus and am left standing alone on the sidewalk to wait for the next bus. When it arrives I sit down, feeling sticky before my work even begins, but I can't help but smile as the bus climbs the mountain situated between my apartment and my school. I look to the left and see little dots of orange and purple amidst a sea of green. I look to the right and the corners of my mouth start to go up as pink bushes flash by. Within minutes we are driving by a mountain covered in little purple flowers and I marvel at the handiwork of my father to maintain such a beautiful garden.

We arrive at the final bus stop and I squeeze off the bus and begin walking the remainder of the way to my school. Dodging spit blobs and ducking away from clouds of thick smoke that seem to constantly threaten to choke me, I am somehow able to catch several glances.

I see loneliness.
In others I see a hardened angry shell.
And yet others I see emptiness and fear.

It is almost like the world around me stops in that moment.

I continue my walk and suddenly my nostrils are tickled with the soft scent- unobtrusive like the thick smoke I have inhaled all morning. No, this is the light scent of the purple and white flowers that fill a median to my right. I smile to myself as I think of their location: the middle of city, next to a busy bus stop. They almost seem out of place, but I could not be more happy with their placement.

I recently shared a joyous evening with some dear brothers and sisters gathered to sing to our father and meditate on the wonders he bestows on us. As we sang and shared thoughts with each other, a brother shared about the aroma within us. In 2 Corinthians, Paul reminds his brothers and sisters that we are the aroma of our father to those who are lost and perishing.  My mind went instantly to the cheerful scent of the purple and white flowers on my walk to school in the mornings. If people see us and wrinkle their noses at us we have not represented our father properly.
He is the sweetest aroma.
The Ultimate.
When they are near us, they should be able to "smell" his aroma on us- it should be sweet and pleasant. We should bring a smile to the faces of those we see and interact with on a day to day basis. We do not have the option of smelling the least bit foul on any given day- we may be the only whiff of him that a person may get.