I love the smell of my husband's cologne. I love the smell of coffee brewing. I love the smell of a newborn baby. I love the smell of wood burning. I love the smell of the ocean.
On the other hand, last week, when "Pearl", our lab-shepherd mix, found herself on the receiving end of a skunk's odoriferous warning....I discovered a new depth for my detest of that particular smell.
Fragrance is an experience. By that I mean, it affects you personally, whether in a good way or a bad way. When you smell something, you react to it, even if only on a subconsious level. Here is the condensed version of how it works:
The chemoreceptors in your nose are stimulated when they detect an odor. They send electrical impulses to the brain where the sensations are interpreted and converted to perception, which is recognition of the smell. What is really amazing is that the olfactory bulb, where all of this occurs in the brain, is a part of the limbic system.....our emotional center. This system plays an important role in our mood and memory, and "smells" are processed in the very same place; which is why certain smells can stimulate feelings of happiness or sadness.
Another important fact about fragrance is that it is the byproduct of something else. It is usually our first indication of what is occurring in the world around us and it is what lingers with us long after its source has been removed.
Last week I came upon this wonderful scripture found in 2 Corinthians 2:15, "For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and those who are perishing." When you really stop and consider the word "fragrance", this scripture takes on a beautiful meaning and a considerable charge. Christ came to this world, lived, died, and rose to live in heaven again. While He is no longer physically among us, in the eyes of God, His fragrance remains earthbound, in the form of a Christian.
