Afrikaans singer Jan de Wet turned poet D.J. Opperman’s poem Sproeireën into a song. Loosely translated it goes something like this: My girlfriend is in a naartjie and my grandma in cinnamon; someone … someone is in aniseed. Yes, there’s a woman in every fragrance.

Every time I peel a naartjie and breathe in its citrusy smell, I’m reminded of my mother – that small, quiet, dignified lady on her own kept me, a real hooligan, going in the right direction.

Specific smells bring back specific memories. It takes you back to events that made an impact on your life. Some are fast and powerful. Others had a big impact over time. It’s like you can’t get rid of it.

The day you were overwhelmed by God’s love, you got a taste of how good God is. The day when you realized how far off the right path you really are, that you are actually on your way to eternal death and that Jesus came to earth to take you off the wrong path, opened a miracle fragrance for you.

Unfortunately, the fragrances of the world often overpower that lovely fragrance. We get so busy in the world that we get swallowed up by the world and its flavours and lose the wonder of God’s goodness flavour somewhere along the way.

To the world, God’s goodness is nonsense. To the world, Jesus’ death on the cross is a fairy tale that sounds lovely but does not carry much truth. How could God’s Son hang on a cross for a bunch of sinful people? How could Jesus be the sacrificial lamb that was slaughtered to pay for all people’s sins?

It’s these opinions that expel the wonderful flavour of God’s goodness from our lives. This is exactly what the devil wants. He wants to drive the memory of the good smells out of us so that we can no longer smell God’s goodness.

We must steel ourselves against this. We have to prepare ourselves that there is someone who wants to erase our memory of scents.

Remember: ²You’ve had a taste of God. We’ve tasted and smelled all of God’s goodness, so to speak, and we must protect it at all costs. We must not allow it to be taken from us.

Like when I peel a naartjie and breathe in the small drops of naartjie juice it makes me think of my mother, we have to show up at places where we can experience God’s goodness again. This is where we can also discover more about God.

Be intentional about making appointments in your diary so that you can set aside time for God’s fragrances. Open yourself up to be transformed by new experiences with God that reveal His grace and goodness to you in a new way.

Make time. Make room. Sit down in the field. On the mountain. By the sea. In the sand. In the garden. Smell the scents and allow the Holy Spirit to help you experience God’s goodness right where you are in life.

God is good. Yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Scripture
1 Peter 2:1-8

Reflection
What do you remember about your first encounter with your Saviour?
What or who pulled you away?
Where can you make time to be overwhelmed by God’s goodness daily?

Prayer
Father, I must confess that I have lost the flavour of our first meeting. I want to be overwhelmed by Your goodness again. I pray this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.