Do You Smell?

I love to watch my kids play outside and it blesses me to see my husband exercising outside. However, I dread when they come in because they have an "outside" smell. Icky! Ridley laughed the other day when I said, "You smell". He asked, "What do I smell like?" I replied, "Outside." He began to laugh and couldn't grasp exactly what I meant.

Today I had a real estate appointment at Starbucks. I told myself the whole way there I wasn't going to be tempted to have a caramel macchiato. I probably have 2 a year since I am not a coffee drinker but I try to stay away from Starbucks and the temptation. While driving, I began to justify why I could splurge. After all, I have been doing my workouts and eating healthy. I even found myself using my quiet time track record as proof to reward myself. One wasn't going to hurt. So after my meeting, I walked out of Starbucks with my head held high and my stomach growling. Funny though, I walked around all day smelling like Starbucks. I was sure everybody could smell me. Every person I came in contact with I wanted to say, "I was there but I didn't get the caramel macchiato."

When I stopped at an office supply store later, I walked by a man that smelled like smoke and a lady that smelled like mothballs. As I krinkled up my nose, I thought to myself, "Boy that was strong. Do they not know they smell like that?" Then I laughed because they were probably on the other side of the store questioning whether I drank the coffee or spilled it all over myself. As I got back in my car, a verse came to mind immediately. 2 Corinthians 2:15 says, "For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing." Wow! I better be careful what I smell like. I know I don't want an outside smell. A smell of me being outside of His will.

Choose wisely. You may not fall to the temptation but you just might hang out near it long enough to smell like it.