2 Corinthians 1:3-4
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
Almost all of us at one point or the other have seen, touched, or smelled a rose flower. We have admired its beautiful colors (so gloriously decorated by God), touched the petals, and held the pedicel or the petiole. If you are a lover of flowers (like me) you will agree that a rose flower is one of God’s master pieces! One of my friends will take a long walk in the evenings just to smell the fragrance of a rose flower – it brings healing to her especially on stressful days.
But have you ever smelt a rose when it has been crushed? The sweet aroma coming from its crushed petals is a welcome fragrance to the nostrils! You wonder how something so cruel (that is, crushing a rose almost to the point of ruin) would yield such a sweet smelling benefit – it’s one of the mysteries of life.
Our lives can be compared to that of a rose. God has made each person beautiful in their own way; but we do not produce the full benefit of that beauty until we are crushed by God. Just like a rose flower, we do not yield our sweetest perfume until we are crushed – God allows trials, hardship, challenges, pain, etc. to invade our lives to the point that our “petals” are crushed, and our richest perfume flows out to bring glory to HIS name, and blessings to everyone around us!
You’ve been through depression, sickness, divorce, challenges, etc – you are now crushed and your fragrance is flowing freely – what will you do with this fragrance? Will you waste it? No, you’ve been through so much to allow the fragrance to waste. The perfume originating from your hard places is the: essence of beauty, and intended outcome by God. It should not be wasted, find someone and bless them with your fragrance! It’s worth the effort if that is the only gain derived from your pain.
God has placed people all around your path to benefit from all you’ve been through. HIS purpose is that others should “smell” your fragrance and be healed. In your community, church, neighborhood, workplace, ask God to lead you to people who will need your fragrance. Be a blessing today, don’t waste your beauty, don’t waste your fragrance! You paid too high a price for it; it is now time to yield the fruits!