A Heavenly Diffuser

I was doing devotions this morning when God again struck me with a thought that I had to write down. I have been really struggling the past few weeks with thoughts of discouragement and feelings of failure. I have been having a real hard time trying to balance the new STP season with school and football and being a wife, and trying to raise 8 children. Two of those children have entered adulthood and it is hard walking through hard struggle with them. Satan has used this busy time to bring up all the failures in my life. I struggle with them every day and into the night.

This has always been an area where I have struggled. I think about all the things I have done wrong in my marriage, my parenting, and just life in general. I allow little things to frustrate me and then I say things in such a way that it is sin. The enemy just constantly brings me down and I have to fight for the good thoughts. The excellent and praiseworthy things.

I am so glad that I have women in my life who are praying for me and encouraging me because I need. Words are such an important part of my life that I need to hear from others that I have value and that I am doing some things right. I also need these women to let me know in a loving way when I have done something in such a way that causes pain for someone else.

Isn’t God wonderful to send us people in our lives to encourage us and pray for us? And to gently guide us away from sin?

I was reading my prayer journal this morning and I was at the section where I pray for my children. I have a calendar that is 31 Ways to Prayer for Your Children. I just follow the day of the month and pray for that character quality. Today the prayer was “Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to ‘live a life of love’ through the Spirit who dwells in them.”

The scripture reference was Ephesians 5:1-2.

Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children. ² And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

This is from the ESV bible. The KJV says it a different way.

Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;

² And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour.

I was struck by a few words. Whenever that occurs I normally go and look up the words and their meanings. One of my favorite resources is Blue Letter Bible. You can type in a verse and it gives you all kinds of tools to help you understand the verse. It includes dictionaries, commentaries, and Greek and Hebrew explanations of words. It is just a really good resource.

I looked up the word “followers” and “imitators.” It defined the use, in this particular verse, as “a decisive act with permanent results.” That led me to the word decisive. I read a definition that said that it was unquestionable or unmistakable. So, when I look at the word imitator or follower I think of it as a choice I make everyday to walk with God so that everyone around me know without a doubt that I love Him and follow him. That this decision is a life decision and that I will not waver in it. I identify with Christ. I am like Him.

People sometimes will say that my children act or look like me. That is truth. My children pick up on my habits and choices and ways of doing things. I want people to look at my life and say that I look a little like Christ. That they can tell that I have spent time with him. I want my children to see that most of all. It is a conscious choice every day to carve the time out of my day to spend with God. Some days I really don’t want to because I am tired and weary. This morning was one of those mornings.

This has been a hard week! I have been under spiritual attack. I did not want to get up this morning. I have a child who has a big college paper due and he asked for my help. I drove to Wake Tech to meet with him before his class at 8 but the Lord had other plans. Traffic was horrible, so we arrived 10 minutes before his class. I could have driven home but I decided to stay and wait until his two classes were over.

I got out my prayer journal and started but was just not feeling anything really. Stale and stagnant. I just could not. I sat with my notebook and journal and pen and nothing came. I went through my prayer journal and then almost closed it. I decided to keep going and got to the section about my children. That is when the Spirit moved in my heart.

What JOY!!

That brings me to the next word that the Spirit made me notice this morning. When the Spirit moved it was like a peace washed over my soul.

Joy.

A sweet fragrance.

Just like in the verse I read.

The verse is talking about Christ’s sacrifice being a sweet fragrance to God. The KJV says a “sweet smelling savour.” We are to be imitators of Christ so the things we do for God are a sweet fragrance to God too.

Fragrant means a thing that is well pleasing to God.

As a daughter, wife, mother, friend, sister. My life is to bring a sweetness to all those around me.

I looked up the word savor on Blue Letter Bible and it said, “such as diffused (or emitted) by life, and itself imparts life.”

Umm. What????

God struck me with a thought that I am sure has been said before, but I had personally never had this thought, so I was astounded for a moment.

I got introduced to essential oils a few years ago and bought a diffuser. I have used it to the point that I need to purchase a new one. I have used it to help bring sleep. I have used it to help heal or prevent sickness. I have used it to help a depressive spirit. When I turn on my diffuser, the room where I am fills with a wonderful, fragrant aroma. I can always tell when people have essential oils on because the aroma spreads around them.

That is exactly how we are to be to the world. We are to be like a heavenly diffuser spreading the sweet aroma of Christ to all those that we encounter. We need to live our lives in such a way that those around us stop and turn and sniff the air trying to figure out where that wonderful smell is coming from. They seek us out wondering and asking what it is that makes us different. What the sweet smell is and how they can find it too.

A heavenly diffuser of who God is.

Our lives are to be a pleasing aroma to God and to everyone whom we encounter. The sweetness of God should follow us because we are doing His work and bringing glory to Him. It should invade the space around us and pour over into the air so that people notice and search for its source. We need to then be ready to share the good news of God with them when they find the source is us. 

That is my prayer. That I would live my life in such a way that by walking close to God I emit a wonderful, sweet smell that draws people in. I can point them to Christ and all that he has done for me so that they can know Him too. 

My prayer is also that I would be able to spread such a sweet smelling aroma that encourages others who may already know Christ to turn up their diffuser to reach more people for God's glory.