I have some confessions to make…
Confession #1: I don’t like popcorn. It took me a while to
come to this realization, as for most of my life, when it was offered as snack,
I’d grab a handful and mindlessly stuff my face. But over time, I’ve trained myself,
“Jessica, don’t eat that. Remember, you don’t actually LIKE popcorn.”
But if I were completely honest, the primary reason I don’t
like popcorn is that I HATE the way it smells. Even when it’s cooked perfectly,
I’m not a fan. But when overcooked, even so slightly, it is the worst smell
imaginable. Above all smells, and I do mean all, I hate the smell of burnt
popcorn.
I propose that burnt popcorn is the worst smell ever to exist in all
of existence. The thought of it now makes me cringe and kinda angry. The way it
permeates the atmosphere and assaults my nose, frustrates me to my core. But the
most aggravating part is that since I don’t eat popcorn, suffering the smell is
never a fault of my own. *cough* family, roommates, coworkers *cough*
Confession #2: Since I haven’t been getting
out as much as I used to, I may have grown a bit lax in my daily showering and dressing
habits. But so what if I stay in my pjs a day or five longer than normal? I’m
not going out. I’m not seeing people. I can smell a little, right?
This brings me to Confession #3: For
a large portion of my life I haven’t had a proper view of 2 Corinthians. I’ve
kind of filed it away as a lesser epistle. But in my subpar defense, the title literally
says it’s second, you know silver, first loser, the sequel, so not as good as
the first. But it has been the primary tool the Lord is using to get my
attention, lead me to repentance, and challenge me as a follower of Jesus
during this current season.
In 2 Corinthians, Paul addresses fellow Jesus followers who
are facing a difficult season and issues, which rocked their daily lives.…I’m
sure you can’t relate but stick with me. His letter evaluates and challenges
their response. Toward the end of the second chapter, he reminds,
“...[God] uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God...” 2 Corinthians 2:14-15 NLT
With these confessions, and Paul’s words in
mind, I find myself asking, “What aroma am I putting out into the world, even
as I shelter in place? What smell is permeating the atmosphere as it rises up
to God?” I’ve declared myself a believer, a follower of Jesus. So according to
God’s word, I’m to be a ‘sweet perfume’. My life is “a Christ-like fragrance
rising up to God.” It is what God “uses to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere…”
Wait, everywhere?
I recently took a leave of absence from
social media. I didn’t have an online social presence as current events began
to impact our daily lives. By the time I ventured back, social distancing was
in full swing. I wasn’t slowly ushered into the hot-mess of opinions, amateur
science experts, conspiracy theorist, end-times arguments, left and right
political backbiting, and all the like that I found with the swipe of my
finger. The onslaught was jarring and the smell…well, I know I said burnt popcorn
was the worst, but maybe I was wrong.
Like I said, the Lord has been using 2
Corinthians to shake me up, reminding me of His heart and who I am. Paul
continues in chapter five,
“For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself… he gave US this wonderful message of reconciliation…WE are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through US. WE speak for Christ when WE plead, ‘Come back to God!’" 2 Corinthians 5:19-20 NLT (emphasis added)
Fellow believers, WE speak for Christ. WE
are Christ’s ambassadors. It is through US, you and me, that God is pleading to
a world that doesn’t know Him to come back to Him. How easy it has been to forget
this. Our presence in this world may look different right now, but let’s not
fool ourselves, we are still very much present. Nowhere is this truer than
online. For many of us, social distancing has increased our presence in the
eyes and ears of others – our aroma is permeating the atmosphere like never
before.
Right now, above all, I must remember THE mission. THE top story, that which takes precedence over everything else, even a global pandemic, IS the Gospel. It is the Good News of Jesus Christ. Everything – everything I do right now is God making His appeal THROUGH ME. Every comment, every post, every like, every rant, everything is speaking for Christ. So what am I putting out there? Is it truly a wonderful message of reconciliation? Is it a sweet perfume? A Christ-like fragrance?
Look, I don’t want to place myself in a
seat of judgement. I don’t want to climb on a soapbox and point fingers. And I
definitely don’t want to contribute to the “you should - you should not”
debates. But I do want to remind myself and my fellow brothers and sisters, WE
ARE THE FRAGRANCE OF CHRIST. If WE don’t like the smell
of our world today, what aroma are WE putting out there? In an effort to have a
mindless snack… are we burning the popcorn? Are we permeating the atmosphere
for everyone else to suffer the smell? And in doing so, are we becoming greater
ambassadors of our own opinions than of our Christ.
Is our message pleading, “Come back to God!” or “Come agree with me!”?
I choose to believe that during this time, we’re
all trying to find honest truth and do what is right. I choose to believe this
is true of our government leaders, both blue and red. I choose to believe it is
true of businesses, billionaires, health organizations, and even media outlets.
And I choose to believe that even if I am wrong in this belief, my God has
taken into account the fallen state of humanity and will not forsake me.
And because of my conscious choice to
believe and trust God, I repent. I repent of contributing to a miserable and
assaulting aroma in the world. Genuinely. Wholeheartedly. I repent of the pithy
comments, sarcastic memes, soap-box rants, and mic-drop share re-posts intended to feed my prideful ego with a thumbs-up like. I repent. And
out of my love for Christ and His Gospel, I hereby confess my commitment, or re-commitment to the wonderful message of reconciliation and to do everything in
my power to be a sweet perfume, a Christ-like fragrance, an ambassador that
allows God to make His appeal through me. Yes, this is my act of repentance and
confession of commitment to stop burning the popcorn.
