what's that smell

The following is something I wrote for the summer edition of my church's quarterly magazine. My purpose was to write something that would encourage spiritual growth without being too cerebral or boring.

Something that I always look forward to in the summer is taking in the smells of the season. Everything from freshly cut grass to charcoal burning in a grill to chlorine from a pool is a reminder of the carefree freedom that summer represents. I have heard that the area of the brain that is focused on smell is very near the area of the brain that is used to recall memories, so I may just like summer smells because they remind me of summers past. Regardless of the cause, a nice summer smell can brighten an afternoon or evening if I am feeling a bit blasé.

What I find the most noteworthy about smells is how paradoxically subtle and pervasive they are. For example, if someone in our society has not showered for multiple days it is likely that no one will mention this to him or her. This person’s lack of personal hygiene will not be a secret to anyone, though. The perception of everyone who comes into contact with this man or woman will be affected by his or her smell. Even if this hypothetical smelly person has something of real worth to say, many people will ignore it due to the smell.

I think that the fruit of the Spirit is meant to work in much the same way that smells work in everyday life. As God changes me into the type of person that He wants me to be I will start to show love in situations where I may not have before. I will start to have joy in areas of my life where I would otherwise be bitter. I will have peace about things that would otherwise bother me. If God is really working in my life my disposition should be noticeably better because I am no longer projecting so much selfishness, bitterness, annoyance, and other undesirable traits that stink to those who have to be around me. People who spend time around me should notice that my temperament smells nice.

One thing that I can attempt is to try to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit more than comes natural to me. I can be good when I do not feel like being good and self-controlled when I do not feel like being self-controlled. This can have pitfalls as well, though. Giving the appearance of the fruit of the Spirit is not the same as having the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is supposed to be the evidence of the work that God is doing in me rather than being an end goal. In Jesus’ time the Pharisees mastered the appearance of goodness and self-control without actually having that fruit in their lives. Furthermore, everyone knows at least one person who acts kind but who is obviously disingenuous. If lacking any hint of the fruit of the Spirit is like a person who has not showered for days, a person who falsely portrays the fruit of the Spirit is like someone who is using far too much cologne.

If I should not fake the fruit of the Spirit, the only solution has to be an openness to allow God to change me so that I slowly become the embodiment of the fruit of the Spirit. The writer of Hebrews saw things this way as he wrote in verse 12:10, “God disciplines us for our good that we may share in His holiness.” In order for me to become holy I have to allow God to change me through the things that happen in my life. The fruit of the Spirit will then slowly start to appear as I give over areas of myself to Him.

If really want to grow in the fruit of the Spirit there are a couple of questions that I need to ask myself daily. When I interact with others in my everyday life does my disposition reek of stench or of too much cologne? What are the areas of my life that I still need to release to God so that He can change me? If I can answer these honestly and allow God to do His work I will smell good in no time.