Good morning…
I turn on the lamplight in the middle of this hard night and all I can smell is gardenias.
I happened by a friend’s home yesterday in need of a hug and an honest talk about the pain plaguing so many we love. Relentless ravages of cancer. Upheaval in trusted institutions. Some passionate friends feel angry and betrayed, others feel supported and hopeful. Amid all the tumult, we stood in her yard and all we could smell was gardenias.
After our life-giving conversation, she cut me a bunch, placed them in water, and I brought home the small mason jar of white flowers. I forgot about their presence in our home until I woke to write in the middle of this night. In these sacred moments, I am silently soothed by the sweet smell of gardenias.
I feel drawn to google, “What do gardenias symbolize?” Here is what I discover.
The white flowers of a gardenia, frequently used in wedding ceremonies, are commonly viewed as a representation of purity, clarity, and innocence. Most often, gardenia flowers are given as symbols of trust. They show love and respect for a person (usually a partner). Furthermore, gardenia flowers symbolize the idea of renewal and starting something new. They symbolize hope, dreams, and beauty.
Amid all of the pain and division in our wounding world, might we quietly live like the sweet smell of gardenias?
Pure.
Clear.
Innocent.
Trusting.
Loving.
Full of respect.
As we begin each day anew, might our presence silently saturate every room we enter with the hope, the dreams, and the beauty of God?
As far as God is concerned there is a sweet, wholesome fragrance in our lives. It is the fragrance of Christ within us (2 Corinthians 2:15a, TLB). With Christ alive at the center of our innermost being, let us not forget the powerful presence of God’s living Spirit. Peacefully and persistently, with no effort of our own, may we silently spread the sweet smell of Christ.
…Sue…
