Seven lovely pints of bread and butter pickles are cooling on my counter. Piled in the sink are the utensils, bowls and pots used to prepare them, all tinged a lovely shade of "turmeric" yellow. Stained dishcloths and towels are soaking so that they are ready for a laundry session tomorrow. There are sticky yellow patches all over my kitchen floor. I worked hard today. And anyone in "sniffing distanace" knows it!

The briny syrup and spices used to "pickle" the cucumbers are smelled all over the house. It's even all over the block! I just stepped out to deliver our trashcans to the curb and had a strong whiff of vinegar and spices! A neighbor out walking her dog greeted me and asked, "what are you cooking?"
     "Pickles."
"Ah. I wondered. The smell reminds me of home. My aunt still makes pickles."

Our street has an international flair. Indian, Greek, Chinese, and Japanese owners often contribute interesting aromas to the night air. I know when a batch of eggrolls is cooking, or when the curry dishes are almost finished. Frequently there's the tang of roasted garlic or the heavy petroleum smell of charcoal lighter fluid.

Smells.
Aromas.
They are distinctive and clear markers of what are hidden behind fences or doors. You can't mask them or cover them up without removing the source of the odors. That's why a thorough clean-up job is required for my house to smell less like a pickle factory!

II Cor. 2:15 Our lives are a fragrance presented by Christ to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those being saved and by those perishing. (New Living Translation, Tyndale House Publishers)

I suppose the "pickle factory smell" was not especially welcomed by some of our neighbors. The kids also voiced their disgust at a smelly home. There are days I don't appreciate being assaulted by strong food odors either. In fact, some odors, such as perfumes, can send me into a wheezing spasm! But the odor you can smell on the outside of our home is a by-product of the work that was done on the inside.

As I finished cleaning up the pickling crock and set the canned pickles on the shelf, I kept thinking about being a "fragrance of Christ" in my neighborhood, in my kids' schools, at the grocery, meeting a new family… I want to have the distinctive "smell" that tells everyone Who I belong to, and Who is working inside me. Jesus. Savior. Lord.

Four hours of work. 7 pints of pickles. A sticky kitchen. An odiferous home.

Is it worth it?


Hmmm… you bet!

From our home to yours-
Deb

To see the recipe I used, visit my Canned Yummies page!

For other "musings," please see Previous Month's Musings