A HEAVENLY SCENT
There is so much truth within the phrase - stop and smell the roses. Even in the natural the phrase has profound effect, if you allow it.
The attraction of a rose is purely visual at first impression and usually from the bottom of the pedals up. Who wants to gaze longingly at the thorns on the stalk that makes up the majority of the plant. Then there is the matter of their scent.
You probably can remember to a good degree of accuracy what a rose smells like. Even now, as you read these words, the sweet aroma that only a rose can produce is being recalled in your memory-senses. They say that the sense of smell is the sense most closely associated with memory. Want to remember where you have been, what happened at that event, and so forth? Try to remember the scents in a given memory.
So, scent is powerful. Especially right near the rose. The question then becomes - are you going to stop?Stopping or even pausing now-a-days means your priorities are being challenged. "Oh, I can't stop now I might miss this or miss that." The reverse is also true - you will miss out if you do not stop. But many only see the beauty of the rose and move on.
To stop and smell a rose takes time, energy, and the decision to invest those - and for what? Haven't you smelled a rose before? So, why would one stop and smell the roses, especially if already having known what a rose smells like? How about - appreciation? Love for the smell? Just to know it is still fragrant? This last consideration is important to many, including me. So, symbolically, if you are stopping and smelling me - taking me in - appreciating me - or investigating me for the first time, I hope I am pleasant and worth your stop.
Said another way - society creates chemicals to put on our bodies so we will hopefully stand out more to the sniffer and keep fragrant. Many of us do not know how much to apply to be pleasantly attractive to those around us. Some just put deodorant on their bodies. Others do not put anything on their bodies. What kind of fragrance are we producing today?
The Fragrant Incense of Scripture that was kept lit on the altar, spoken of in Exodus 30:7-10, was offered on a regular basis in memory of the generations to come. This is a symbolic ritual that foreshadowed what Christ did for all generations at once on the Cross (Ephesians 5:2).
2 Corinthians 2:16 speaks about our fragrance to certain audiences - To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. If you were to spend enough time around a rose or in a rose shop/garden you are likely to come away smelling like a rose. One of the titles of Christ is Rose of Sharon (Song of Solomon 2:1). So, I encourage you to stop and smell the roses, especially The Rose of Sharon and you will likely come away smelling heavenly.
The attraction of a rose is purely visual at first impression and usually from the bottom of the pedals up. Who wants to gaze longingly at the thorns on the stalk that makes up the majority of the plant. Then there is the matter of their scent.
You probably can remember to a good degree of accuracy what a rose smells like. Even now, as you read these words, the sweet aroma that only a rose can produce is being recalled in your memory-senses. They say that the sense of smell is the sense most closely associated with memory. Want to remember where you have been, what happened at that event, and so forth? Try to remember the scents in a given memory.
So, scent is powerful. Especially right near the rose. The question then becomes - are you going to stop?Stopping or even pausing now-a-days means your priorities are being challenged. "Oh, I can't stop now I might miss this or miss that." The reverse is also true - you will miss out if you do not stop. But many only see the beauty of the rose and move on.
To stop and smell a rose takes time, energy, and the decision to invest those - and for what? Haven't you smelled a rose before? So, why would one stop and smell the roses, especially if already having known what a rose smells like? How about - appreciation? Love for the smell? Just to know it is still fragrant? This last consideration is important to many, including me. So, symbolically, if you are stopping and smelling me - taking me in - appreciating me - or investigating me for the first time, I hope I am pleasant and worth your stop.
Said another way - society creates chemicals to put on our bodies so we will hopefully stand out more to the sniffer and keep fragrant. Many of us do not know how much to apply to be pleasantly attractive to those around us. Some just put deodorant on their bodies. Others do not put anything on their bodies. What kind of fragrance are we producing today?
The Fragrant Incense of Scripture that was kept lit on the altar, spoken of in Exodus 30:7-10, was offered on a regular basis in memory of the generations to come. This is a symbolic ritual that foreshadowed what Christ did for all generations at once on the Cross (Ephesians 5:2).
2 Corinthians 2:16 speaks about our fragrance to certain audiences - To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. If you were to spend enough time around a rose or in a rose shop/garden you are likely to come away smelling like a rose. One of the titles of Christ is Rose of Sharon (Song of Solomon 2:1). So, I encourage you to stop and smell the roses, especially The Rose of Sharon and you will likely come away smelling heavenly.
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