Smelling Good For God! (Uganda Reflections)

Our first morning in Uganda - Monday, April 29 - and what did we see outside our hotel room?  A double rainbow! If that isn't the promise of a good week, I don't know what is.

We began the day with breakfast, praise and worship led by a local praise team - The Pursuers, then a message from Chaplain Dave Groleau, a chaplain with Samaritan's Purse.

The scripture he chose for the week's focus is one I was not a familiar with: 

2 Corinthians 2:14-17

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁴ But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. ¹⁵ For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. ¹⁶ To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task? ¹⁷ Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God.

Dave encouraged us to remember that by our actions and our words we can either give off a good fragrance or a bad fragrance - the choice is ours.  He challenged us to always remember that God uses us to spread the pleasing fragrance of the knowledge of Christ.

As I shared this scripture at our staff meeting last week, Elizabeth expanded even further.  She frequently burns a candle in her office, and she can tell when the University School students approve or disapprove of her aroma selection of the day. When it is pleasing, they often poke their heads into her office. They are "drawn in" by the fragrance.  Let's think about it this way - if we are spreading the fragrance of Christ, people will be "drawn in" to want to learn more, hear more.........

We want the  people we encounter to remember the fragrance of life! (read above scripture again)

Until the next installment.......Are you Smelling Good For God?

As a bonus - my new word for the day that Monday - "muzungu" - the Swahili word for white folk, translated literally means "confused person wandering about." - Yep - that's what we were to the locals. :)