Sand And Glitter

I went to the grocery store early this week.
I didn’t want to go shopping close to Thanksgiving.
I try to get things I need for the Thanksgiving meal the few weeks before.
Therefore, the week of Thanksgiving, only the last minute incidentals are needed.

The grocery store was quite busy.
The shelves in my market were well stocked.
I am thankful for the independent grocers who sell local produce and meat.
Everyone was cheerful and there was a bit of anticipation in the air.

A few things on my list were not available, so I made a mental note to get them another day.
Neither of those things are absolutely necessary for the Thanksgiving meal.
This meal will be a bit smaller for us, since my older son came up with a system.
He proposed this idea well before the last holiday season.

On the even years, the entire family celebrates Christmas here in our home.
This year, the house will be full from December 23 through December 27.
On the odd years, the entire family celebrates Thanksgiving here in our home.
On the odd years, we will have our Christmas the day after Thanksgiving.

We still have Christmas on Christmas Day for the rest of us.
However, for the ones who live away, we celebrate an early Christmas with them.
Since this year is an even year, Thanksgiving will be the smaller holiday.
Small or big, it is still wonderful to all be together.

I put the groceries in the back of my mini van.
As I was loading them, I noticed sand along the edge.
It was sand from our July beach trip to North Carolina.
It was sand that was vacuumed up right after we returned home.

It was sand that lingered in some crevices.
It was sand that we brought home with us.
It was sand I thought I cleaned up months ago.
The sand brought back memories of our vacation.

Those memories made me smile on this cold, windy day.
Sand from the beach was hiding in the back of my car for me to find months later.
Sand attaches to everything.
Sand has to be shaken out of blankets, toys, beach towels, and shoes.

I love walking on the sand.
I love burying my toes in the sand.
I love grabbing a handful of sand and letting it sift through my fingers.
I love the fact that the sand lingered well beyond our vacation.

I got in the car and pulled out of the parking lot thinking about sand.
In a instant, my mind shifted to thoughts of glitter.
Anyone who knows me, knows how much I dislike glitter.
I had art supplies for my children, and now my grandchildren, but you will not find glitter.

I will bypass any greeting card or Christmas card with glitter.
I will not buy any wrapping paper with glitter.
I will inspect any gift bag for the dreaded glitter.
Insidious glitter attaches to everything.

I remember my oldest daughter bought one of her nieces a dress up costume.
The little one was so excited to put it on.
My daughter never realized that the cape of the dress was covered with glitter.
It was too late; glitter was on the carpet, the sofa, and all of us who were nearby.

Little pieces of glitter that by itself are relatively harmless.
However, glitter in abundance is my nemesis.
If you are around glitter, you will later find a speck on your forehead, arm, or neck.
Glitter does not go away, it cannot hide and always makes itself known.

But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God.
(2 Corinthians 2:14-17)

When we are in Christ, we walk around with His aroma wafting in the air around us.
Just like sand and glitter, we leave a little bit of it everywhere we go.
The aroma of Christ is pleasing to many.
For some; however, the aroma of Christ is the aroma of death.

To me, finding sand in the back of the mini van brought back wonderful summer memories.
To me, finding glitter over things is annoying and frustratingly unpleasant.
Sand and glitter attach to everything.
Joy? Nemesis?

We have an aroma.
Hopefully, our aroma smells like Christ.
To some, Christ’s aroma will be pleasant and life giving.
To others, Christ’s aroma will be unpleasant and the smell of death.

May the aroma of Christ waft everywhere we put our feet.
May it linger and get in to every crevice, nook and cranny.
May we be so fragrant that we draw others towards Him.
May our fragrance be unmistakably Him.