We are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.

— 2 Corinthians 2:15

People who have studied bee communication have observed a complex system in which bees use pheromones (scents). These “chemical messengers” that bees produce and receive are needed for a hive to thrive. For example, scents are central to the mating process. And if the hive is threatened, worker bees give off an alarm scent that rallies other bees to go out and sting potential intruders. Also, each hive is marked with its own queen’s scent so that the gatherer bees from that hive will find their way safely back to it.In communication among living things, so much is shared in subtle ways. For instance, we can communicate nonverbally through gestures, looks, posture, tone of voice, and so on. People who have studied human interactions assert that 80-90 percent of our communication is nonverbal, and this can either support or contrast with our words.As Christ-followers, we are encouraged to infuse our communication with the “pleasing aroma of Christ.” There is no way to fake this scent. It can come only through our union with Christ. Ephesians 5:2 recommends, for example, that we “walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Doing that, we can spread the pleasing scent of Christ to the people around us.

Lord Jesus, may our actions and words be infused with your scent so that others may sense your presence in us and be drawn to you. Amen.