Hints and Aromas

Sometimes we Christians are so blunt in our evangelical approach that we turn people away. If we confront someone boldly, we are offering them the food of Christ. However, many people do not think they are hungry. Telling them they are hungry or that they need food will only upset them.  They will often counter react by telling themselves they are not hungry for something more. But, if we act in a loving way that is so radical, we will offer an aroma of Christ. If people see our continuous actions of love, they will begin to smell the aroma of Christ: they will begin to grow hungry. If people realize they are hungry, they will be naturally drawn to food. 

Another way of thinking about this is with hints and commands. If a man and woman are sitting together in a room with an open window and the woman says she is cold, she is hinting that the window should be closed. In most cases, she must ask/command the man to shut the window if she wants him to close it. However, if the man loves the woman, he will be attuned to what she says. He will pick up on cues that she puts out and, if he cares about her when she says she is cold, he will shut the window that is letting in cold air. All she must do is hint towards the window being closed and he will close the window. In a sense, through love, the man has ears to hear. Only in love will he hear and understand.

So, if we love Christ, we will be attuned to His spirit. If we love Christ, we will have ears to hear. If we love Christ, we will pick up on hints that he gives through His spirit; we will, not only hear, but also listen.

 Remember that God did not speak to Elijah in the strong wind, an earthquake, or a fierce fire but in the still small voice. (1 Kings) God’s voice is often a hint, not a command. 

I remember a note my ex-girlfriend once gave me. It was hand written and expressed a lot of things but the only thing about it I still remember was the most subtle hint I found in the note. In writing the note, she had carefully traced over certain letters to give those letters a slightly emboldened look. While reading the note, I grabbed a pen and scratched down the emboldened letters on a sheet and gazed in wonder at what the word meant. I quickly hopped online and did a search. The word was Katallasso, a Greek word meaning reconciliation. 

As Christians- ones who follow Christ- we should speak with hints and give off the fragrance of food. We should emulate Jesus with our actions. Last night, a girl from China asked me to write her a goodbye note. I started by writing about my fond memories of times we shared over the summer. As I was writing, I stalled and began retracing the letter “J.” God brought back to mind the hint my ex-girlfriend gave to me a long time ago. God was whispering to me to hint of Him. 

In the end, I didn’t write that she needed Jesus in order to be saved from eternal damnation. I emboldened various letters in my note, spelling out “Jesus loves you.” The subtext is there for my friend to find. I trust and pray that God will give her eyes to see. I trust that, as she looks back on our interactions, she will see the love of Christ in my actions as an aroma that makes her hungry for something more.

 (Some people question as to whether a hint or aroma is enough, or if more is demanded from us. For me, it comes down to trust. I have trust that God will move in that person's life. I scattered some seed, only God can bring life to that seed. There is only so much I can do before I get in the way or mess things up. There needs to be more of God and less of me.)

* The idea of hints and aromas comes from Peter Rollin's book How (Not) to Speak of God