Sweet Perfume

Last night it rained.
And that was a very, very good thing.

The past week, the pollen has been worse than I remember in years. EVERYthing has been completely coated in the yellow stuff. We even took pictures of our feet on Easter Sunday after walking through the grass barefoot. You know it's bad when the kids don't even want to stay outside.

This morning, we opened the door to let the dog out, and the sweet smell of spring came floating through the air. The rain had washed away almost all the pollen. The air smelled fresh and sweet, just the way a Spring morning should. I cracked the door open again and breathed in the fresh scent, and it lingered in the kitchen as I made the kids' lunches.

I was thinking this morning on the verse from 2 Corinthians 2:14 -- "But thanks be to God! He always leads us triumphantly by the Messiah and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of knowing him."

I also like the version in the New Living Translation, which says:
".... now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume."
 
For me, it's a great word picture. Do I spread the fragrance of Him? What is left lingering with someone when I leave? Do I leave the sweet perfume of the joy of Christ? Or am I leaving others coughing on the yellow pollen, polluting the air with gossip, negativity or complaints?
 
I want to be a breath of fresh air, to spread Christ like a sweet perfume. Thankfully, when I mess up, Christ comes like the rain and washes all the yuckiness away, so I can start fresh like a beautiful Spring day.