For one thing, it doesn’t matter what kind of diet I’m on at the time, Valentine gift chocolate may be freely consumed without guilt—regardless of the calorie count and the inevitable cellulite multiplication. Embrace the chocolate. Embrace the cellulite. It’s Valentine’s Day.
Gift chocolate from a Valentine can also be selfishly hoarded like no other chocolate. It doesn’t have to be shared with the children. “Sorry, Sweetie, Daddy didn’t buy any extra—there’s only chocolate for MOMMY.” One of the biggest challenges is saying that last part without a snarl. Ah, love is in the air.
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All my choco-hoarding issues aside, we actually should be able to sense the fragrance of love in the air on an everyday basis. It’s like a sweet-smelling offering to our Heavenly Father when his children are taking on the charge to love each other. |
And who is it who gives us the ability to love each other? He does! Romans 15:5 says, “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus.”
Guess what happens as we follow Jesus and love each other. Verse 6 tells us that we have the privilege of glorifying the Father: “so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." It’s closer than the closest heart to heart. Many people—one heart!
The bottom line in loving fragrantly is in the next verse. It’s how we really make it happen. Romans 15:7 tells us to “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”
It’s our calling to strive to love as fragrantly as we’ve been loved by Jesus. And it’s our blessing that when we’re obedient in loving his way, we bring praise to God. That’s the kind of love we really do want to have filling the air.
Hey, I wonder if the fragrance of love really smells like chocolate.
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