I remember the morning I made my way to work on a Matatu (Kenyan minibus). I was in the passenger’s seat when after a few minutes into the journey, the driver asked me a question. He asked, “what’s the name of the aftershave you have on?”
As a young man, I had invested in the things I thought mattered when traveling to another country, and buying a good aftershave that I could afford on an internship budget was one of my must haves!
I was surprised when he asked the question, because I didn’t expect my aftershave to be quite distinctive or even strong. It was my regular aftershave, so I may have experienced nose blindness or a diminished sensitivity to the smell of the fragrance. But to that driver, it was a pleasant fragrance he now wanted to buy.
As believers, we are reminded by Paul the Apostle that we are the fragrance of Christ in this world (2 Corinthians 2:14-15). We are to walk in the pleasant fragrance of Christ’s Spirit, leaving the fragrance of love, grace, compassion, and integrity (etc.) everywhere we go. In a damp environment, our presence is to bring a noticeable change as people encounter Christ in us.
Similar to how the driver could not hold back but ask for the name of the aftershave, so should our presence and dealings with others leave them intrigued by the presence and the fragrance of Christ in us.
“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere” 2 Corinthians 2:14
Be a sweet-smelling fragrance for Christ wherever you go.
Be encouraged!
Blessings,
Chris Eke
