Song of Solomon 2:1 – I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys. (KJV)

"Pugh!" my husband Marcelo blurted out. I smelled it, too. It permeated our entire living room, and the bad news was that the smell got even stronger when we walked near the chair that I always sit in.

I assured Marcelo that the smell was not coming from me. But there was no getting around it — we needed to pinpoint the problem, and quickly!

After careful investigation, we finally zeroed in on the culprit. It turned out to be the stress ball that our great-grandkids had sent to us.

They love doing experiments with their mom, and they had taken a balloon, filled it with cornstarch and water, and made a stress ball.

It worked well, but we learned that the mixture, called Oobleck, can become mouldy after a couple of weeks and give off a very bad smell. (Yeah, tell us about it!)

We had placed the ball on the end table near my chair. Once we had discovered where the smell was coming from and threw the ball away, the odour miraculously disappeared.

I then lit a rose-scented candle, and as the fragrance filled the room, it reminded me of a poem I once wrote.

       The Rose

I smelled the sweetest fragrance
Coming from the flower bed
But all I saw were weeds and thorns
Faded flowers limp and dead

The roots of bitterness had grown
To such a tremendous size
All around were weeds of hypocrisy
Ungratefulness and pride

But still I smelled the fragrance
Like perfume in the air
Deep inside that garden
I knew a flower must be there

I asked the Lord to show me
As I got down on my knees
Immediately we went to work
Removing weeds, thorns, and debris

There stood in the garden
No longer hidden from one's view
A beautiful, precious, lovely rose
All covered with beads of dew

Jesus the Rose of Sharon
Whispers so serene
If others are to see Me
Then your garden must be clean

It is so important that as Christians, we guard against undesirable things that are detrimental to our testimony and effectiveness for Christ.

Prayer: Lord, may it be our desire to rid our lives of anything and everything that hinders Your presence and Your beautiful fragrance in our lives, our precious Rose of Sharon. Amen.

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About the author:

Cheryl Mariano (Cheremiah) <cherylmariano@gmail.com>
Casa Grande, Arizona, USA
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