smell of brownies cooking

I'm still working my way through my sawdust and grass cleansing diet.  I've lost about 6 pounds so far, but I have to confess that I have cheated on more than one occasion.  I mean, who can really survive on vegetables and fruit alone?  Isn't it strange that all of the sudden we "discover" that wheat and milk and potatoes are bad for us?  Makes you wonder how the human race survived for all these millennia eating bread and drinking milk.  Was Adam gluten intolerant?  Maybe people just didn't care about excess gas, and farting was considered socially acceptable.  Someone would let a whopper, and their seat-mate on the chariot would say, "Oh, don't you just LOVE the fresh taste of whole wheat bread?"

But back on the Sujet du Jour.  Nicole made dark chocolate brownies for dessert last night (Charlie and Gayle and their grandson came over for supper).  They were sinfully delicious, and I enjoyed every bite as I contemplated the sawdust shake I have to drink this morning as penance.  But have you ever noticed how strong of an emotional trigger our sense of smell is?  It doesn't matter how bad your mood is, as soon as you smell the aroma of brownies cooking in the oven it makes everything feel (for a moment at least) just great.  I remember a time when we were visiting a reconstructed town in France where old buildings from all over the country had been broken down and rebuilt on this one site.  I walked into an old log classroom, and as soon as I caught the first whiff of the odor of old logs and creosote I was catapulted 42 years into the past and back to the cabin our family owned in rural Oklahoma.  It was an incredible experience.  One sniff and my mind was filled with wonderful memories of old spring mattresses, daddy long-legs crawling across the floor, and the ponies standing on the porch looking through the screen window as we ate breakfast.  Wow.  I almost cried as I stood there - thousands of miles away and 40+ years in the future from the source of those memories, but the smell in that room literally moved me emotionally.  I can only imagine how this same brain "trigger" could evoke a deeply negative emotional response if the smell reminds us of a terrible, painful childhood experience.

I thought of the power of our sense of smell this morning as I read this passage from 2 Corinthians 2:

"But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of of Him in every place.  For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, and to the other an aroma from life to life.  And who is adequate for these things?"

I can't explain this, but I know there are people who have crossed my path over the years who's mere presence caused me to feel wonderful, like walking into the kitchen and smelling the brownies in the oven.  Maybe that's what God is talking about here - that He wants us to be so full of the love and grace of Jesus that the fragrance of the Holy Spirit just follows us around throughout the day.  "The Sweet Aroma of the Knowledge of Him".  I like that.

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On a different and totally unrelated note:  Barrett Trotter was named Auburn's starting quarterback yesterday - a huge test for a young man who's played in others' shadows (namely Cam Newton) for three years, and now as a Junior has a chance to write his own story.  The race for starting quarterback was very close between three excellent young men, and the disappointment in the voice of the number two man - Clint Moseley - was palpable when he described the announcement as "the greatest disappointment of my life... period".  He's got some heart-work ahead of him this season if he wants to play for the good of the whole team.  Life's full of disappointments Clint - better get used to it.