What’s that smell?

We’re full of opinions. Anything we have seen, read, heard, smelled, eaten, or otherwise experienced works through the grid of our thinking, forming opinions. Whether we keep ours hidden, or plaster them up so everyone knows our opinions, we all come to conclusions about pretty much everything. What we think about clothes, food, politics, church, hairstyles, family holidays, tattoos, cohabitation, abortion, gender identity, Facebook, Congress, professional sports, Donald Trump (this list could continue ad infinitum), are all formed by input, and our opinions reveal what we’ve been inputting. 

What’s more, opinions change. More or different input can change one’s opinion about anything. This is why what we take in is important. What goes in eventually comes out in one form or another.

I love garlic. While living in Italy, I developed a deep appreciation for the cuisine of that country, which often included garlic. Spreading roasted garlic cloves on a piece of fresh Italian bread – buonissimo! The thing is, that garlic would ooze out every pore of my body for more than 24 hours, and would be obvious to anyone who came within “sniff range.” Oh, boy. Not pretty.

Paul told the Colossians to “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…” (Col. 3:16). He told the Philippians “whatever things are true… noble… just… pure… lovely… of good report… virtuous… praiseworthy – meditate on these things” (Phil. 4:8). I believe that what we input in our lives affects what we output, in the olfactory sense. We can either be an air freshener, or a stink bomb, I suppose.

Here’s what Paul said to the Corinthians (2 Cor. 2:14-16): “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death… and to the other the aroma of life…” 

So, let’s be sure our thoughts and opinions are formed by the best kind of input – the truth found in God’s Word – rather than whatever culture is telling us today. Trust me, it smells a whole lot better.