Essence

It's back...another round of penicillin and another trip to the ear, nose & throat doctor...I have yet another sinus infection! Of course, it's only the 2nd one this year, but the first one lasted 4 months! :-( This time, like the first, I have lost my sense of smell and taste. Losing your sense of taste isn't all bad though--I figure that I can eat lots of veggies now because I can't taste them! Maybe God is actually trying to help me eat healthy during all of this?! But I do have to say that losing the sense of smell or taste is quite annoying, yet if we were asked, we probably wouldn't consider either of these to be crucial senses. I mean, we could live without them right? It's not like we've lost our ability to hear beautiful music, or the voices of our loved ones. And certainly sight is much more important because without it, we couldn't even be able to take care of ourselves. So losing the sense of smell or taste...no big deal, right?

What I've lost is the ESSENCE of the world around me. I've lost the ability to enjoy the simple things...the taste of a tall glass of iced tea or the sweetness of a candy bar. I cannot smell the perfume I'm wearing in the morning or the cookies baking in the oven. But besides that, I'm actually also in danger. What if the something was burning on the stove? How would I know? What if the milk in the fridge had gone sour...I'd still drink it without knowing it was poisoning me!

So too, walking around this earth without the ESSENCE of God in our hearts and lives leaves us without the ability to enjoy life's pleasantries, and it keeps us from sensing impending danger. Without God in your life, you cannot grasp the beauty of our earth or truly appreciate the many facets of His awesome creation. Without his spirit inside of us, we often don't hear the warnings to run from temptation or the "wrong crowd." Our world is tasteless, dull, and dangerous.

Do you have God's essence in your life today? Have you cultivated Him in your heart and in your life? The more of Him that you have inside, the more amazing your earthly life can become. The more you have His essence inside of you, the more you can share it with those around you. And when you start "smelling" and "tasting" like Christ, people will be attracted to the Christ in you and you will be fulfilling YOUR God-given purpose on this earth!