I used to love waking up at my Grandma's house. No matter what time zone my body was on, and no matter what time it really was, the smell of Kermie's sausage or bacon would help me to get out of bed. And just thinking of that smell again makes me hungry. Excuse me, I'll be right back.
OK, I'm back. And full. The thought of bacon got to me. I love riding around on Saturday mornings, after the neighbors have just cut their lawns. The smell of fresh cut grass, just makes me feel alive, particularly if I drive by a golf course, that's not by the freeway. And one of the things you miss while traveling in a car is the various smells as you travel through the country. You miss the breakfast smells of diners, the fresh, cut grass of yards, and the smell from bakeries and In and Out. How horse stables can smell so good. Each smell much different, and distinct, and each one has its own promise of satisfaction attached.
But I also love the smell of racing castor, and how it fills my nostrils until it burns. The smell of sitting in a new car, and how it just feels so clean, and how leather just stirs the senses. Remember when gas smelled good? It still does outside of California, but still not as good as when lead was in it. But somehow, if the ratio isn't just right, the smell becomes an odor-to be abandoned as quickly as possible, instead of enjoyed for as long as it lasts.
Burn bacon, and the fans come on. Same with coffee. Grass an hour after it is cut doesn't have the same fresh smell it had when first cut. The smell of In and Out from the drive through by the time you get home has turned into more oil than meat and fried potatoes. Cow pies stink while horse puckey smells so good.
And as good as castor smells at the track, one of the worst smells is a car burning oil.
And as good as castor smells at the track, one of the worst smells is a car burning oil.
But a smell that somehow still is attractive after many years is from the interiors of old American cars. Somehow the Morrokide from GM cars from the sixties still retains a pleasing aroma. I love the smell from cars from the forties, one that combines a musty smell with real fabric, devoid of synthetics-cottons and wools that nowadays would be to expensive too produce in volume. And real leather seats, not the ground up and sprayed on leather surfaces we are faced with today. Smells today that are encouraged to not offend, instead of stirring the senses.
But maybe it is the memories that the smells rekindle, and the good times I had when I first enjoyed them. Somehow new and improved, or as good as, or in place of, or smells like just isn't the same. I want the real thing, and my choice of whom I worship is the same. Why settle for a synthetic smell, when the real one is available? And why settle for a false God, or bad doctrine, or false teachings, when the truth is available, and sets you free? The fact is you don't have to, so don't. Demand the truth, God has set it up that way. But somehow our adversary, the devil, sneaks in and uses a counterfeit. It sorta feels the same, it makes you happy, and hey, I'm in a hurry and don't have the time. But just like waiting for the brownies to be done, to get the perfect smell, waiting on God produces the best results. Too soon, the blessings just aren't done yet. Too long, and you've missed them. Using your own judgment just confuses the issue, it takes spending time with God to get the smells just right, and as good as Oreo's are, they just can't compare with the smell of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies, or Snickerdoodles, or the smell of an apple pie just from the oven. Some things are best when fresh, and while some things just feed the senses, God's freshness feeds the soul. It encourages the spirit, and when walking with Jesus everything seems fresh and new. And every morning His mercies are!
Start your day with Jesus. Somehow the coffee seems better, the bacon crisper, and the toast just right. Ride past the fresh grass, and watch as the sun melts the dew from it. Ride past the In and Out and know lunch is only a few hours away. And if on your bike, as you should be, experience all the fresh smells that make being alive so exciting. You see, that new car odor will fail in a few months, but Jesus will be the same every morning. Fresh to wake up too.
For me, bacon crisp, toast sourdough, then a ride past the golf course, and a stop at a race shop to smell the castor. Sensory overload for me, each one a delicious reminder of good times. But-the sweet smell of Jesus in my life- a reminder of good things past, and great things to come.
We all have an idea of what haven will be like? Does your include smells? If not, maybe include them in your next preview, and watch as it heightens all your senses, and brings you closer to God. A hunger that is always filled-and in between snacks are always OK.
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogpsot.com