The Way We Smell

When I was in seminary I had a class that met on Monday nights. I sat next to a fellow student who had one big problem. He stunk! It wasn't body odor; the unpleasant smell was from something he ate. Apparently, he ate the same thing every Monday night. I'm sure his culture had a lot to do with the flavors and odors represented in food he had eaten. I don't know what it was, but it was terribly strong, and for an old meat and potatoes boy like myself the smell was sickening. He was very friendly, and wanted to talk, which made the problem worse for me. I liked him, but I hated the way he smelled.

Maybe you have had to be near someone who smelled not so good-- bad breath, body odor, or some other unpleasant odor. I had a student once who smelled so bad it was almost unbearable to be near her. The other teachers, and I noticed that she wore the same sweater every day. The counselor investigated, and found out that the sweater was being dropped on the floor every day just inside the front door when she came home from school. Apparently, the cat had been using the sweater as its bathroom. She was so accustomed to the smell that she had gotten used to it. Such a sad story, but more typical than you might imagine. Why can't people notice these offensive odors that are so obvious to everyone else?

The thing about bad odors is that they speak loudly. They shout,  “Notice me!” They do not hide. They cannot be covered up! There is nothing sweet or pleasant about an offensive odor. The stinker causes a very unpleasant social situation, and is not even aware of the problem. Some people must me nose blind.

I was thinking, what if our sins emitted an offensive odor? What if each sin had its own unique smell that identified what the sin was. “Well George, my nose tells me you have been watching porn again.” “Sally, Sally, Sally, you are wearing that gossip fragrance, aren't you?” Imagine what our church services would be like if we could not keep our sins from being identified by how we smelled. Having no way to keep our sins hidden from others would create some serious difficulties for us.

Our sins are offensive. But more than anything our sins are very offensive to God. I think God can smell our sins. If we can send up pleasing aromas to God through our obedience and praise, can we not offer up some very offensive odors to Him as well? We cannot hide our sins from God. God is not nose blind. How we smell before our Holy Father is more important than how we present ourselves to others. We were not created to be stinkers.

2 Corinthians 2:15 ESV “For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing,”