Casandra Martin

I got to witness a miracle last week. A young mother came to be baptized. She and her friend had spent time talking about Jesus, the power of forgiveness, the call to surrender, and the amazing offer of grace, and she made the decision to become a child of God. She went down into the water a sinner – drowning in guilt, weighted down by humiliation, and haunted by regrets and what ifs. She rose up out of the water a new creation – pure, clean, renewed, and free to live in the fullness of God’s grace and power. It is a miracle that makes my heart beat faster every time I am blessed to see it.

The neatest part of the moment was the conversation between this young mother and her five-year old daughter. Long dark hair framed big brown eyes that watched with fascination and awe as mom answered the invitation to die to self and live for Christ. It was clear that they had talked about mom’s decision. The little girl knew that mom was going to be baptized in the water and she was overflowing with questions and curiosity. It was beautiful to listen to mom gently explain that someday the little girl would be able to choose to live for Jesus as well.

Just then a friend came over to give the woman a hug. “Do you feel fresh and clean?” the friend asked. Beaming, the woman agreed that she did. With that, the little girl got the strangest look on her face. She grabbed her mom’s hand and pulled it right up to her nose. She sniffed and smelled her mom’s skin, and then proudly pronounced, “Yep, you smell like Jesus!”

I love that. Leave it to a five-year old to go straight to the heart of transformation. This isn’t just a cute comment by an adorable kid. It is the deep truth of grace. “For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing,” – 2 Corinthians 2:15. When we commit ourselves to His salvation, He changes us into the fragrance of Christ. Gone is the stink of sin, the smell of shame, and the stench of guilt and fear. Instead, we smell like Jesus.

My Jesus Resolution today is to wear the fragrance of faith. I want to smell like Jesus. I want Jesus to be so much a part of who I am that He comes out of my pores. I want to live so deeply in His grace that others are aware of His nearness. I want to move so deliberately in His presence that He fills every part of who I am with Himself. I want others to be able to listen to my words, watch my actions, feel my touch, and hold my hand and say, “Yep, you smell like Jesus!”