The person in question started a conversation with my daughter and then began to mock her for her friendships with other coworkers, her purity, and finally her Christianity. While my daughter is well aware that there will be persecution in this world, this still took her aback. As she said, "Mom, I have never had someone spew so much hostility and venom at me for who I am." The final clincher was a childish insult hurled at my daughter: "You smell."
Well, my daughter knew she didn't smell and yet that barb found a way in under her armor. Funny how the devil can use even little things to penetrate when the full-frontal assault is failing. But God is so gracious to redeem. That night as we gathered with our church for prayer, my daughter's best friend came up behind her to give her a hug and without knowing anything of my daughter's day said to her, "You smell so sweet."
When my daughter told us what her friend had said later in the night, I just smiled. As she said, "I knew I didn't stink, and yet to hear that affirmation from someone who was unaware of my day totally disarmed it."
As we were talking, the Lord reminded me of a verse which I quickly looked up. "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task?" (2 Cor. 2:14-16)
After that I had to tease my daughter, that yes, she DID smell! To that coworker, it is a smell of death, to her dear friend, the fragrance of life. And she laughed with me as we agreed that our prayer for each one of us is to be "smelly!"
4 comments:
Thought provoking...it is vital to have someone or a community to turn to when faced with persecution, trouble, or suffering. Persecution in any form painful to deal with on our own. Without a community and the relationahip with Christ, a lot of us will start to have numbness and anger in the face of trails basically saying, "When I can't do anything about it, why bother me with it?"
Songbird,
I agree, we do need it other so much, especially when facing persecution. And these days that will be the case more and more.
I have to constantly go to the Lord and allow Him to wash me from those very natural responses of anger so that He can flow through me. And I have to remember that for most people (me included at times), lashing out is a coping mechanism.
Thanks for stopping by. :)
I love how all of that fit so perfectly. God is so good!
and what a fragrant gift you are to your daughter! a mother who flows over her children with beautiful fragrance and not death. awesome, Kerry :)
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