WHAT'S THAT SMELL?!

From Beth:
With Mother's Day coming up, I have been thinking about us mamas and the realities of our daily lives, and it occurs to me that there is an Aroma of Motherhood. 

It starts out for many of us with the sweet smells of our babies-- 
milk, bananas, rice cereal, fruit, and diapers. 
Over the years the smells of the mommy-life change-- 
that outside boy smell and those inevitable potty training mistakes, musty P.E. clothes left in a school bag and the ham sandwiches forgotten in last week's lunch box, burned pots abandoned on the stove because the cook needed to become the referee and the surprise of first body odor, and then there's the joy of the colognes and perfumes of adolescence layered over the b.o.!.....
And for some of us the initial smells of motherhood came in an orphanage-- foreign smells of foods and realities of life completely unfamiliar to us.

It occurs to me that these are the smells of being a mommy, and they are actually oh so good! These odors are the aroma of Father God's presence and purpose being accomplished in our homes. These are heavenly smells that surround us-- the essence of 2 Corinthians 2:14-17

Through us, he brings knowledge of Christ. Everywhere we go, people breathe in the exquisite fragrance. Because of Christ, we give off a sweet scent rising to God, which is recognized by those on the way of salvation—an aroma redolent with life...

This is a terrific responsibility. Is anyone competent to take it on? No—but at least we don’t take God’s Word, water it down, and then take it to the streets to sell it cheap. We stand in Christ’s presence when we speak; God looks us in the face. 

There are sweet scents coming from you, dear mother. To put it bluntly, You Smell! As you mother your children there is no doubt in my mind that you are the fragrance of Christ to them, and to others who come into contact with the smells of your home. As Susan Hillis has shared, "You are perfume!"

So don't be "put off the scent" by the scents coming from your life! The smells of mess and clutter, of needs and demands, of chaos and growth, are an "exquisite fragrance" emanating from your life of love and sacrifice. These are the scents of Christ in you, precious sister. Indeed it is true, you do smell oh so very good, and God is declaring to you this day that your mommy-life is a sweet fragrance rising to Him. Oh how He loves this unique mixture of scents that only your family can produce as you take on this "terrific responsibility" of sharing God's Word with your children in the day-in, day-out life of your family. 

So I say as we set aside time to honor motherhood, we can confidently respond to the question, "What is that smell?!" 
Breathe in deep and know that those odors, even and especially the ones that make your eyes water and your nose crinkle, are a fragrant offering from your life, pleasing to God. 
For these are the smells of eternity being sown in the lives of our children; the smells of love and sacrifice, of discipline and training, of day-in day-out mommy life.