Sacred Cynicism

Some of us are devoted fans of the TV series “Seinfeld.” We can sit in a circle with other fans and quote funny lines from that series for hours. Many will remember the “B.O.” episode. Jerry takes his car to a restaurant, and takes advantage of the valet service at the door. When his meal was completed, he quickly realizes that the valet that parked his car had a terrible issue with body odor. As hard as he tried, he could not get the smell out of his car. To make matters worse, anyone who rode in his car took some of that unpleasant aroma with them. By the end of the show one person’s odor, had permeated the lives and relationships of numerous people.

We laugh at the show, while at the same time realizing the truth behind this episode. Remember bowling alleys before the anti-smoking laws were passed? 2 games of bowling and your clothes would smell for weeks. On the other end of the spectrum are some department stores. A shopper can walk through the fragrance section, and hours later one can still smell the fragrances even though you are miles and hours removed from the store. Science informs us that smell is a powerful trigger in recalling memories from decades before. Have you ever had a song just pop into your head for no apparent reason? It just might be because you just smelled something that you smelled when you first heard that song.

I heard a song earlier this week that I was unfamiliar with. It was a choral number, sung by a collegiate choir. What struck me about the song was its lyrics. The first line was “Lord, help me spread your fragrance wherever I go.” For some reason, this lyrical line has stuck with me this week. Knowing that the power of smell is as powerful, and memorable as it is, how do I live in a manner that affects people long after I am gone?

I wish the answer to that question was simple, but it is not. Maybe we could make it easy and just give people a moral list of things to avoid. Then, I could get up in the morning, and simply read the list. Perhaps if we just avoid the things on the list, then our lives could spread that fragrance. While I think it is important to avoid those things that destroy lives, families and culture, I could sit in a corner, separate myself from everyone, and perfectly avoid everything on that list, and I would not make a difference in the lives of anyone else. To be honest I think we have tried that road before, and while it may have helped an individual avoid some destructive behavior, it did not spread much of a fragrance. It may have even had the opposite effect. If we turn Christianity into a pursuit of moral choices, our fragrance may smell more than a bit oppressive.

I think Jesus had it right. When asked, Jesus replied, “love God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength, and your neighbor as yourself.” Could it be this simple? I think so. And while it may be this simple, it is not easy to love your neighbor as yourself. How do I love the person I do not get along with? How do I love the other parent at school who treats me badly? How do I love my child when they show that attitude and I have a headache? There is no one-size-fits-all answer to any of these. No specific answers past the general answer to love. This is the problem with the approach suggested by Jesus. If I had a list, I could simply do what the list states, feel good about my accomplishment, and then leave the problem behind. With this command to love, I cannot get past it, or merely put a checkmark beside it. It is an ongoing command, a way of life that does not forget about the person that challenges us.

Perhaps this is the fragrance that remains long after we are gone. A fragrance that lifts up another, instead of finding ways to diminish them. A fragrance that seeks the best for another, instead of what is best for me. A fragrance that expects the best, seeks the best, and works for the best, even when the other might not deserve it. A fragrance that always looks to forgive, and extends that forgiveness even when it is not extended back to us. Maybe this is the fragrance I am to leave behind, one that will remain long after we leave a situation.