I am 15 years old, standing in the only bathroom of our small home. My mother is also there wearing her fleece, aqua colored, floor-length bathrobe. When I am ready to leave for school, I throw my arms around her. As she hugs me tightly, my nose is buried in her robe where I inhale her Chantilly perfume. It is distinctively her scent and that moment is burned into my memory.

Many years later after my mother had died, I was shopping during the Christmas season in a dollar store. There on the shelf was a bottle of Chantilly perfume, much like the ones Mom had received as Christmas gifts throughout the years. As I took the top off to smell the perfume, I was caught off guard as tears flowed down my cheeks. For a brief moment, I was back in my mother’s arms.

A signature scent is your way of leaving a mark everywhere you go. It is the fragrance you always wear and wear so often that it comes to represent you. Chantilly perfume is a scent that I will forever identify with my mother.

The apostle Paul tells us that as Christians, we are to diffuse the fragrance of Christ to the world (2 Corinthians 2:14-16). When a fragrance is diffused, it permeates the room. It surrounds you to the point you can’t escape it. As a child of God, our example, influence, and teaching should be everywhere we go and noticed by everyone we meet.

Some people may find the truth and message of the cross offensive (Galatians 5:11), but as messengers, we should never be intentionally offensive. We are to be fragrant, not flagrant! There are fragrances that can be overwhelming and sickening, but we should diffuse the knowledge and love of God in a way that demonstrates love, sincerity, authenticity and gentleness to those with whom we come in contact.

What is your signature scent? Are you diffusing the fragrance of Christ to those you come in contact with on a daily basis?

(Side note: I bought the bottle of Chantilly in the dollar store that day. Anytime I want the feeling of being with my mother, I open the bottle, take a deep breath, and feel her arms around me once again.)