Let them smell the coffee

2 Cor 2:15For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish

Trials and troubles is something we all have to encounter. It is a part of our life down here. Even if we are born again Christians, it doesn’t mean we are saved from hardships, or troubles. We also encounter sickness like cancer and other serious deceases. We also struggle with finances. We too have our share of difficult neighbors, colleges and family members. It can happen that we loose our job, or even worse, loose our loved ones. I myself remember the total unexpected shock from the phone call I received as a 24 year old. Your dad just passed away. But he was here yesterday??? He laughed and it seemed he was all fine? How can that be? He was the most God loving and God fearing person I knew! Why would God take him?

No, we don’t understand it all, and we are not excused from trouble. But it is the way we react to storms in our lives that defines us. And even though Jesus never promised only good days, he promised he would be there with us. And if we allow him, he can help us come out on the other side better and not bitter.

Not everything react to boiled water the same. Eggs for example becomes hard when in boiled water. But a vegetable on the other hand becomes soft. Some people harden and become bitter in trouble. If they had soft spots before, they are now hard. Others are more like a vegetable. They soften though the storms in life. Trouble has even softened harder spots in them. They become more patient, and more loving.
But there is a third variation, and that is coffee. When coffee comes in contact with boiled water it fills the house with a good smell. So will we if we allow Jesus to go through the hardships WITH us, and if we let him lead us, and instruct us. If we let him encourage us and strengthen us, we are more like coffee. We will fill our surroundings with a wonderful smell. It is a smell that witnesses a life of experience. It is a smell of experiences of both good and bad. Experiences that says, I came out of it, still loving, still smiling and still believing. The Lord gave. The Lord took away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
Let us take Jesus with us through the valley and the storm, and we will come out and smell like coffee.