What Lingers When You're Gone?

"For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing."  2 Corinthians 2:15 (NIV)

Is it skunk season or what???  As I drove last weekend from Charlotte (and spending the weekend with my parents...my Daddy recovering nicely), I was overcome with the putrid smell of not just one, but two dead skunks...miles apart... that met their demise on those byways.  I had to drive for several minutes with my windows down...on a very cold day...to get that odor out of my car and my nostrils!  Phew!  They surely left their "mark" and got the last word!

That experience did cause me to ponder.  What mark do we leave?  If we get the last word, what is it?  What aroma is left behind when we leave a room...and even more so when we leave this world?

Is it a beautiful mark...a visual sign of God's grace in our lives?  Are they encouraging, kind words...that come from a heart that overflows with His love?  Do we leave a pleasing aroma...one that proves that we've spent time in the presence of the Lord?   Let's strive to be the fresh air that blows off the stench that this world often spews forth.

Father, help us to be the aroma of Christ...the pleasant scent of joy, encouragement, hope...the bearers of kind words, and a testament to your power in our lives.  Let the fragrance that lingers be Yours.  We love You!