Being Pollen-like

Our neighbor drives a 2011 corvette. He traded in his tricked out T-bird for it last spring. The corvette is his pride: vanity plates, professional cleaning service, stored when he deploys, upgraded pipes to announce the V8. A most beloved possession.

His car is covered in neon green pollen this morning. Same as our 18 year old, taught-three-kids-to-drive Volvo wagon.

Nothing escapes the pollen fog of early spring on the peninsula. Snot turns green. Dust turns green. At the next rain, the puddles will glow like run-off from the Oak Ridge Labs. Pollen permeation.

Am I pollen? Or more to the point, is Christ in me pollen? Does the gospel shower forth from me, permeating everyone around me?

For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. 2 Corinthians 2:15-16

Aroma of Christ, of sacrifice. The temple, its fire burning continuously with offerings. All of Jerusalem must have smelled like a barbeque, roasting lamb. The smell invading every home, just like a neighbor's hotdogs. An ever-present reminder of sin, death, penalty, passover, scapegoat. The great equalizer from the king's palace to the peasant's hovel.


The message of Christ is an even more penetrating fragrance: life for the Christian and death for the unbeliever. And who wants to be reminded of death? That's why we bury the dead, removed from society. No one wants that smell in their house.

If I am the aroma of Christ, how are people reacting? The unbeliever should treat me like death, stay far away. Politely request that I stay in my house with my babies where the smell is contained. If no one minds me, I have to ask Am I acceptable to the world, arousing no conflict, but of no regard to God? Genesis 4:5 
I heard a story once about Jonathan Edwards, that he was riding between towns to preach and praying because he had not been persecuted lately. He asked the Lord if he had relaxed his message, watered down the truth. A couple of boys were standing by the road and began jeering at him and throwing rocks. He immediately dismounted and thanked the Lord for answering his prayer.

I want a message like pollen, keeping in mind that pollen season annoys me. It's inconvenient and messy and forces my windows shut. But  I want the inescapable about my message. An unmistakeable fragrance of Christ.

The fragrance of this blog was muddled last year. The colorful, pretty world of craft blogs called to me. I wanted a well-read, tutorial-stuffed blog with a cutesy button for people to add. That's why I broke from RM last year. God was resetting my message. {I have no problem with craft blogs; I follow plenty.}

I feel desperation to put the gospel forth as often as possible. Increase the google hits for saving grace. Permeate the internet with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Become christian pollen.