The Sweet Smell of Peace
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“You, Lord, give true peace to those who depend on you, because they trust you.” Isaiah 26:3
When I was a child, I enjoyed the smell of Spring and Summer. Spring had the smell of the trees and flowers beginning to bloom, the smell of the soil from planting the crops, and the smell of the fresh crisp, clean air. Summer had the smell of fresh hay, the scent of vegetables from the garden, and yes, even the smell of cleaning out the barn from the cows and sheep. But there was one smell that is still indescribable to me. It is the smell of the sunshine on my face and the sense of being totally in the moment and breathing in the peace of that instant. It is a smell that I still can take within me and feel a sense of complete peace. The smell of trust without obligations or tasks to complete. It is a complete freedom that one breathes deep within.
I had a moment recently that took me back to my childhood. It was not so much a memory as it was a feeling. I caught a smell – a scent that reminded me of standing in the front lawn of my childhood home and not having a single care in the world and just breathing in the moment. I felt such peace, and nothing bothered me nor was there anything more important than just enjoying this precious moment. The sun was shining, and it was as if God was all around me. That moment comes back to me quite often.
I was sitting at the table in my home this past week, and I felt that complete peace. I truly felt I was focused only on the present moment with no worries and no thoughts of what I needed to do. I was enjoying a moment of complete peace in God’s presence. It was amazing and powerful and humbling. “Wow, this must be what Heaven is like, “I thought. Then the day and the schedule and the tasks began to creep into my thoughts and take away this amazing peace and contentment.
We have all sought peace, but have we truly experienced it or even allowed God to bless us with the gift of peace? Peace only comes with surrender and trust. Peace comes when we live in the moment and trust God with each step. Peace does not mean a trouble-free life. We live in a broken and sinful world which robs us of outward peace and even trust.
When our world is shaken because of loss, our trust is broken. We trusted God to take care of us and our loved ones in a specific way – not to allow hurt or pain. We trust God to protect us because we believe and follow Him. But we tend to define what protection needs to look like. We give God boundaries and limitations. We want the loss and pain to rain down on those who do evil and do not follow Jesus. But God does not see life the way we see it. Life is not fair.
I see the unfairness lived out in my sweet nephew. There is no reason for him to go through the struggle of his disease, but through him I see pure faith, joy, and perfection. I see an angel, and God has placed protective angels all around him. When God decides someday to release him from this world, we will have an intense sadness but also a quiet peace knowing he is in the arms of Jesus. He will be whole and at peace.
Death has its own smell. A smell that is distinguishable but indescribable. It separates, brings fear and dread. It cannot be covered up, mixed, or reversed. But it can be a sweet release from this world of suffering and pain. It is the smell of leaving one world and going into eternal rest and peace.
I want to breathe in God’s peace and take in the smell of peace. My desire is to experience His abiding presence today not just in Heaven someday. It is being totally in the moment. The smell of being totally in the present moment is a clean, crisp smell that goes deep within and brings a sigh of release and freedom. There is nothing in this world that can bring this peace but Jesus.
So what does peace smell like to you?
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