… so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. Romans 12:5

It was a precious moment. Our plane had just touched down on the tarmac and a little girl’s voice rang out excitedly, “We did it, Daddy. We did it. We landed the plane.” All the passengers in earshot burst out laughing. She may have only been 4, but it seemed, in her mind, as if she was part of the crew, celebrating another successful landing.

How refreshing to hear a little one speak collectively in a society that elevates the individual above community. How beautiful to hear the honest excitement of a child celebrating being part of something bigger than herself, rather than the self-serving ‘it’s all about me’ behaviour we have witnessed among some Federal and State politicians in recent days and months. How wonderful to hear a small voice proclaim an eternal truth for ears that were willing to hear it.

‘We did it.’

I wonder…what would it look like if we embraced the mindset of that little girl in our approach to life? What if we saw ourselves as integrally connected to each other? What if we changed our language to focus on ‘we’ rather than me? What if we were to own the failures of society and see that we are a part of the problem? What if we saw ourselves as part of a team, honouring and valuing the small and big contributions alike as critical to the overall outcome and success? What would our homes look like? Our workplaces? Our communities? Our churches?

From the very beginning, God’s plan for the world is that we do life together; in relationship with him and connected to one another. “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him” (Genesis 2:18). “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed’ (Ecclesiastes 4:9). The New Testament has an abundance of ‘one another’ verses that speak of God’s desire for relational living – serve one another, encourage one another, spur one another on, build up one another, pray for one another, love one another, be gentle with one another, just to name a few. We are created for each other. We are designed for community. We are knit together as one body to go further, to support one another, to ‘rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn’ (Romans 12:15). That’s always been God’s intention – to be a people belonging to him and in relationship with each other. We are redeemed together. Justified together. Forgiven together. Made new together. Belong together. Every need met together. Loved by God together. Called by God together to make visible his kingdom of grace and mercy in this world.

What a beautiful gift that is. What a force we can be as we live out together who we are in Christ. Like that little girl looking excitedly into her father’s eyes, we too can see the smile and experience the loving embrace of our heavenly Father as together we arrive home safely and blurt out, “We did it, Daddy. We did it.” And all of heaven with break out with applause and laughter!

Lord Jesus, what a gift it is to be part of your body; joined with you and others eternally. Help me play my part today, serving in love, that your purposes may be fulfilled and your name glorified. Amen.

But thank God!...Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God.

2 Corinthians 2:14b-15a (NLT)

As I sat down in the driver’s seat and shut the door for the first time, it was unmistakeable. So intoxicating. The new car smell. The combination of leather, plastics and the solvents that are used in the production of new cars emit an aroma that it is undeniable, especially when the sun warms the interior of the car. It’s a smell that tells you that something is brand new, fresh, and clean.

It’s wonderful while it lasts but it doesn’t take long for the new, fresh, clean smell to be replaced by the odour of everyday life…sweaty kids, discarded food wrappers, footy boots or socks that have been taken off after sport, dirt and sand that falls off shoes, road grime that clings to the paintwork.

It made me think about our lives as Christians. We have the greatest gift from Jesus. In baptism, we are given a brand new life, a fresh new beginning, a clean heart. The new Christian's smell is intoxicating and exciting. It has a fragrance of new energy and purpose. A sweetness that lingers. A hope that is tangible. A freshness that you want to draw in because it makes you feel alive. It’s the aroma of heaven. But like a new car, the smell of a new Christian can dissipate quickly. The fresh aroma can be replaced by the stale odour of worry, struggle and pain. The clean decor of our hearts can become stained with the accidental spills of life. The carpet of our souls can pile up with the discarded remains of what we consume to satisfy our hunger and thirst? Sometimes, we just forget what the ‘new life’ smells like because we have been a Christian for such a long time and become accustomed to the smell.

So when the smells of the world are absorbed into our hearts that the aroma of heaven is forgotten, how do we recover the ‘new life’ smell? It’s not just a matter of spraying a “new Christian’ deodoriser like companies that have developed car-fresheners that replicate the ‘new car’ smell. That’s a manufactured smell that won’t last and will only bring fleeting delight.

Whether you realise it or not, as a Christian, you are the aroma of Christ. That’s what Paul reminds the Corinthian Church and us. The scent of heaven is evident when the Son shines in and warms up the interior of our hearts. When we spend time with Jesus, our lives begin to resemble his life and we become a ‘Christ-like fragrance rising up to God.’ When we spend time in communion with Christ his fragrance clings to us and lingers on us wherever we go. It’s a scent that is unmistakeable. It’s full of the sweetness of the Father’s love, the richness of the Father’s mercy, the freshness of the Father’s blessings anew each day.

Just a little of Christ’s aroma on you can fill a room. A small whiff of his love in you can have a widespread influence. The scent of his forgiveness released from you can make all things brand new. The fragrance of joy spilling out from you will arouse hope and draw others closer to smell for themselves the ‘new life’ in Jesus.

May the aroma of heaven, the ‘new life’ in Christ smell always emanate from your life and never fade!

Lord Jesus, may my life be a fragrant offering that releases the ‘new life’ scent, the aroma of heaven, wherever I go. Amen.

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. Ephesians 3:16-17

Winter must have arrived. Not just because it has ticked over to June 1. Not just because the temperature has plummeted and it is getting colder in the mornings and evenings. But winter is here because every day I listen to stories and walk with people where struggle is a constant companion, where addiction plunges individuals and families into deep unknown places or sickness rains down, putting a real dampener on the mood. I see mental illness hover over lives like a dark cloud and uncertainty blow through like a cold front freezing people in their tracks and preventing them moving forward. People are weary, confused, tired, frustrated, lost and some are even afraid. Like the prophet Habakkuk, I have heard many people utter: “How long, oh LORD, will I call for help?” (Habakkuk 1:2). For it seems that God is taking too long to come through for them.

Are you in a similar place? Is it winter time for your soul at the moment? Are you wondering where God is or why he is not coming through for you?

If that’s you, then take hope from something that occurred to me the other day as I was putting some carrots into a bag at my local green grocer. What I saw was layer upon layer of beautifully formed carrots, lined up waiting to be selected. They were all a similar size, perfectly symmetrical, fat, strong, and clean. But that’s not what all carrots look like. The ones we see are those that have already been through the shop’s stringent criteria. The real reality of carrots is that they actually grow in the dark underground as they fight against the hard soil, and bend around rocks and stones in the ground. From the top, we see the leafy growth but we don’t see the struggle that goes on underneath the surface. We don’t see any of the process that shapes them. All we know is that in the darkness, in the struggle, they grow. God makes sure of that. It’s only when the carrots are pulled from the soil that we see what they have become, how they have been shaped. Some look like what we see in the green grocers. Some are long and skinny. Some are short and fat. Some are distorted and twisted. Some even have double roots as they go through the process of growing. But no matter what they look like, it’s their fragrance and the flavour they provide when tasted or added to dishes that makes them so appealing.

When it’s a dark time in your life, for whatever reason. When you are asking God, ‘why are you so silent’ or ‘where are you’, remember the carrot! In dark times, God is there. When the cold winds of uncertainty blow, God is at work, shaping and growing you even if you cannot see it or feel it. When the temperature plunges in your life, let your roots sink deep down into God’s love.

Carrot faith is willing to trust that God is there, even when we can’t see him. Carrot faith is willing to trust God in the process, even if we can’t understand what is happening. Carrot faith is willing to wait in the dark, knowing that in God there is no darkness, as 1 John declares, but that there is a lot of God in darkness. His love is present to warm us. His grace is always surrounding us. His Spirit is at work shaping us and growing us. No matter what we look like when we are pulled from the earth and washed clean, God’s promise is that the inner strength he gives, will add flavour and appeal to whatever dish in the world he places us in.

PRAYER:

Lord Jesus, give me a carrot faith that trusts what you are doing in me in the dark and uncertain times of life. Amen.