What's That Aroma? Do You Smell It Too?

Insight 59 | I am fairly convinced that it’s coffee, and not blood, that runs through my veins. 

Perhaps it's my Colombian heritage or Starbucks obsession, but there’s something about it that makes me excited, even with just a thought.

Naturally, with my love for “café” being so prominent, I find its Aroma to be one of the greatest smells the air could carry. Each bean and brew has its distinct notes and description, from fruity or floral, to nutty or sweet, spicy or herb-like, chocolaty, earthy, smoky, and the list goes on.

Pondering over the smells of coffee reminded me of what the wise Apostle Paul shared in 2 Corinthians, when he explained that we are the fragrance of Christ… an incredible responsibility we should all take extremely seriously.  

Thinking about this made me wonder… what is our aroma like? Is it something others would like around them, and something we enjoy breathing in too? Is it pleasant and reflective of Christ?

… Or have we become so accustomed to our own scent that we have become noseblind to ourselves? 

Now, I would venture to say that many of us agree coffee has one of the most energizing aromas in existence (If you don’t think so, that's ok, we’re all wrong sometimes). The thing about it is that its smell is distinctive and pungent. It’s powerful and particular. It’s a uniquely wonderful scent that only coffee gives off. There is nothing else like it; nothing can be confused with it.

As a matter of fact, many things in this world hold a particularly inimitable smell. Our noses house hundreds of tiny odor receptors that interpret the smallest of microsignals traveling through the particles around us.

Much the same way are each of us with our particular scents and notes to the air. We have our own distinct flair of recognizability. So much so that a dear friend of mine once mentally recognized me when helping their brother choose a new cologne. While I had never revealed what scent I had been using in that season, they knew it smelled “like” me, and immediately after catching a whiff, they were flooded with good memories of our interactions. In my opinion, that is simply incredible work that our minds are capable of doing. 

It’s fascinating how our brains connect scent with memory. Have you ever found yourself walking somewhere and catching a smell that takes you back to your youth? Your insides fill with warm nostalgia, and you're right back in that old moment, living it as if it were the present. The same goes for when a particular scent brings you back to a gloomy moment of your life or reminds you of someone you hadn’t thought about in years.

This is caused by a variety of factors, but is assisted by the fact that the nose is directly under the brain. When a smell is detected, it's interpreted by the olfactory cortex, then sent to the amygdala to be construed as an emotion, and passed through the hippocampus to create and retrieve memories.

In other words, the air we breathe is directly tied to emotion and memory, which means it's strongly correlated to how we understand the world and what goes on in it.

All this in mind, it's essential to recognize that this extends beyond our physical senses and into our spiritual and social perceptions as well. We each have a distinct and particular air that we constantly give off and by which others know us. 

Some call it an aura, others a brand, but really, it's a reputation. The aroma we give off is directly tied to how others understand and perceive us. When they come across something else that is similar, they can’t help but think about how it reminds them of us. Why? Because aroma is tied to memory and emotion.

Consider this: most times, it's the “smell” of something that wafts from room to room before it's ever physically present. It’s the same with us; our reputation enters the scene before we ever do.

That right there is serious power. And we all know that “with great power comes great responsibility”. Therefore, I believe it is imperative we pay it some mind and wonder if the air we’re giving off is the kind of thing others enjoy inhaling. If it's the kind of scent they want lingering on their jackets till they get home, or, while we're on this topic, is the air you're giving off the kind you even like? 

I hope you are content and joyful with the face that greets you in the mirror every morning, but if you aren't or are looking and striving for more, you need to begin by changing your scent, that air which you give off. The good news is it doesn't take much to do so. 

Like most scents, a distinct smell is related to its source, where it originates, and the fuel it consumes. Much like a candle, whatever we burn is what we smell like. Whatever we use as fuel not only keeps us going but also determines how enjoyable our presence is. Therefore, if we want our outward experiences to change, the work begins within us first. 

Now, this is not a call to change yourself in order to please others. Rather, a nudge for each of us to consider whether the kind of person we are being recognized as is the kind of person we would like to be known as. 

I believe the best person we could ever be recognized as is someone who is “Christ-like”, meaning their air reminds others of Jesus himself. A good way of thinking about it is to take the “What would Jesus do?” motto and take it a step further by asking, “Does this [fill in the blank] make me smell like Jesus?”

Regardless of your personal connection with Christ, it is still important to realize that who we are and how we are known have bigger implications than we might ever fully understand. It can make or break someone's trust in us and be the defining factor in the legacy we leave. 

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It’s essential to be lights that shine bright, but it's just as important to ensure that the aroma we give off from burning the fuel to keep those bright lights going is the kind that's pleasant and worth sharing with others.

We've all heard of those people who’ve made it big but have no one to share it with, or that one person who has it all but no one likes them… those are bright lights with unpleasant aromas. In the end, those kinds of wins don’t matter if you don’t have anyone to share it with. 

Remember that your reputation walks into the room before you ever do.

It has the ability to turn heads, for both good and bad reasons.

Action Step: Reflect on the “aroma” your life gives off this week and consider if it's the kind you want to be recognized by.

- Making The Most Of Being Curious

Daniel J. Cuesta

Sources:

- We Should Be Intentional About Our Aroma: For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. - 2 Corinthians 2:15

- Power Of A Good Name: A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. - Proverbs 22:1

- It Works From The Inside Out:

• Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. - Luke 6:45

• Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. - Proverbs 4:23

- Harvard, Scent, Emotion, and Memory: Link