The Fragrance of Life—a Guided Meditation

by Pastor Sharron Scott

10-9-09

Close your eyes. Imagine you are in a peaceful place, and you are totally alone. Breathe in. You smell many fragrances… new flowers, the scent of rich earth, trees, grass. The fragrances embrace you, making you feel safe and at peace. You Breathe deeply, savoring each one for it’s individuality and healing properties. Each one has a purpose, and each one ministers to you in a different way. Together they are whole and complete, yet you can single out each one by its individual scent and characteristics.

Now you smell the warm sun…the effects it has on the earth, the flowers, the vines, the trees. The warmth it casts brings new scents to you. You notice that the scents have changed, but are not unpleasant. Fruit begins to drop on the ground. Flowers wilt and petals fall. They are trampled under your feet. As the warmth of the sun increases, the scents change. You detect the distinct scent of leaf matter underfoot, and the fragrance of moist earth has transitioned to that of tiny particles of dust in your nose. The fallen fruit has dried up, and seems useless now.

The heat of the sun and the smell of decay makes you seek shelter. You find a cool, dry place, where you sense there has been no change or growth for quite a while. Eventually this place becomes uncomfortable, and you venture out again. The heat seems unbearable, and never ending. But eventually, the scents of life change.

The air is crisp, and you detect moisture in the air. You smell the fragrance of decaying leaf matter, and find it strangely comforting. You look down for the fallen, dried out fruit and flowers, but they are gone. You smell wood smoke. You hear the crunch of branches and leaves underfoot. Again you seek shelter and warmth.

There is a distinct scent in the air when it snows. Even ice has its own fragrance. And the lack of new growth actually puts a crisp and clean feel to the air. Thinking back to when you sought coolness and respite from the heat of the sun, thinking the heat would never end, you try to recall the scent of dust underfoot. Now the season of heat seemed fleeting, as this freezing cold lingers on and on. Where are the flowers? The bushes, trees and fruit? Why is the violence of winter necessary? You long for the smell of grass in your nose again.

I recall the parable of the seeds, where Jesus tells that the seed falling on hard ground dies. The seed that falls in a crack may take root, but if not waters, soon dies. But the seed that falls on fertile ground continues the cycle of life.

This has been a meditation of the seasons. But I would like to stretch your imagination and have you consider that it is also a walk through scripture….Genesis through Revalation. A living account of our past as a people, our present as a people, and our future. A living account of YOUR personal past, present and future.

There are seeds that have fallen so deeply in the soil that they lay dormant for decades. It is only when unusual circumstances come upon them that they are able to break through the soil above them and find life. We have all had seeds planted in our lives, and we have all planted seeds. There are dormant seeds within each of us that are waiting for the right circumstances to germinate, grow and bear fruit. Those seeds that drop from that growth will change the world.

What are your dormant seeds? Will you allow them to remain dormant? Or will you till the soil above them, water them and watch them grow, breathing in the fragrance of new life?

What season are you in right now? What is the fragrance of your life? Let’s explore the possibilities, dig down deep, and see what we can find. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you those deeply buried seeds! And let’s see what God’s message, your destiny, looks like! Each of us is a world changer. Each of us is has authority and gifts and fruits given by God the Father. Why? Certainly to first give Him glory. But past that, what does He want?

And why, after all the stops and starts, the triumphs and failures, the disappointments we read about over and over again in scripture….why are we still here? Why does life go on, and why are we sitting here today? Why didn’t God bring about the end yet?

I believe that the seasons and fragrances in scripture are all written differently. Each book has it’s own feel, and each verse its own purpose. And those change with us. The book of Revelation is different than any other book in the bible. I have breathed in its fragrance, and I believe it is prophesy on the highest level. What I will show you next week may be highly controversial and will stretch your envelope. You may not agree with my thoughts, but it will certainly cause you to think and pray, and explore your own life fragrance….your destiny.

Dress in layers and grab your coat… … it will be a very unpredictable journey!