A Sweet Aroma

I went out of town this past weekend to visit my father.

It had been a while since I had seen him. Since January, to be exact. I had been feeling super home sick for him, so the visit was well needed.

I am the youngest of my father’s original eight children, and the third to the youngest, of the now total of thirteen, including my step-mother’s brew. We are referred to as the Higginbotham Litter.

No explanation needed there.

I arrived at his house a little late because I had to attend my son’s baseball game before taking the hour-and-a-half drive there.

When I arrived at his house, my step mother told me that he was already sleeping, but that he had asked her to wake him as soon as I had gotten there.

She opened the door to his bedroom, and we both walked in.

He was sleeping soundly. She began to gently nudge him to wake up.

He was snoring, which meant he was already in a pretty deep sleep.

She nudged him again, urging him to awake from his sleep, but got nothing.

Nothing but snores and groans that is.

We both laughed.

After a couple of tries, he began to awake slowly, but in a very groggy state.

She repeated several times to him, “Honey, Tam is here. Wake up.”

He lay in a daze, with his eyes closed, saying, “Tam? Tam is here?”

I climbed in bed next to him, nuzzled my head in his neck and wrapped my arms around him tightly.

He took a deep breath in and squeezed me back.

As he held me close to him he said, “Oh, my Tam is here.I would know that smell from anywhere.”

He pushed me back gently, with his eyes opened, and a big smile he said, “You smell just like you. Do you know that each of you have your own smell, and have since you were little?”

“Really?You recognize all of us by our smell?” I asked.

“I sure do. I could do it with my eyes closed.” He said.

I smiled and giggled.

“And when you are all together, visiting and laughing, yah bring the sweetest smells into the house. I just love it. I could breathe yah in all day long.” He said.

The next day, on my way home from our visit, I began to relive the moment in my head. I smiled as I reminisced.

My heart was full.

Then, I began to think of my Father in heaven. I thought of how He must feel when we embrace Him. When we nuzzle up to His neck and love on Him. I pictured Him recognizing my smell and breathing me into His fullness. It says in His Word that our presence, our offerings of sacrifice, are a “sweet aroma to the Lord”. His Word speaks of how even our prayers to Him are sweet . It also says that He recognizes us ALL. He knows us all so well, because He “knit us together in our mother’s womb”.

What an amazing thought, that the Father of All knows each of us individually and desires to be with each and every one of us. That in itself is reason to praise HIM!

It is a truly awesome, and humbling thing to know that He knows ME so well, and that MY presence, and MY prayers are a sweet smell to Him. What joy fills my soul!

I wonder… what sweet smells we must bring to Him, when we are all together in worship. In unity. Or when we sit in simple fellowship with one another, encouraging and loving each other. Oh, what an abundance of sweet smells we must bring to our Father!

Enter His presence today. Nuzzle up next to Him, and offer yourself as a “SWEET AROMA”.

Ephesians 5:1-2 Therefore be followers of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

Psalm 141:2 Let my prayer be set forth as incense before You, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.