What do I smell like?

This morning the kids and I spent a few moments remembering what we spoke about yesterday - the verse was Psalm 141:3 - Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.  In response Katie drew a picture of a man with doors for lips to remind her that she prayed for a guard to stand there and weigh everything that goes in and out... so wonderful!  I loved it!

This morning we spoke about being the fragrance of Christ to those around us.  Our verse was 2 Corinthians 2:15 - We are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.  When asked whether or not they think they 'smell' good to other people, Katie somberly responded 'no...' which I was ELATED to hear her say because its been our biggest challenge with her lately.  Her words and actions have been caught in a game of tug of war - whether to observe and obey what God is asking of her in the moment or give in to the evil desires that tell her to think only of herself... I have been praying that she would recognize this!  Praise the Lord for these moments during our mornings lately -

Our discussions have included the following...

• seeking peace and pursuing it; being a peacemaker in your home
• when our faith is tested, it produces patience and our relationship with Christ grows
• presenting ourselves as a living sacrifice to God - we want our life to please His heart
• searching the scripture to see if what your being taught is Truth - weighing what you hear and know against God's Word
• just because someone is nice and does a lot of good things doesn't mean they are going to heaven when they die -- they have to know Jesus Christ because He is the only way
• setting a guard over our mouth and asking God for help with our words
• being the fragrance of Christ to those around us - the saved and the perishing

This morning I am taking in all that is going on in our Schei life right now.  I'm asking God to search my heart because I know that there's darkness in it that I'm having trouble putting a finger on.  Rebecca talked to me the other day about forgiveness and that it just may be that I'm imprisoning myself if I haven't completely forgiven -- I felt as though I had and now I'm not so sure.  As Kyle and I continue to walk forward in a difficult financial situation -- William's surgery, my ultrasound and now our van's transmission... thousands of dollars that we don't just have sitting there is needing to be paid and we're simply asking God for the provision necessary to get past this hurdle. 

God is faithful.  He is all I need.  If only I can recognize that as I go about my day today.  God is reminding me that I will smell like something to the people around me today... its up to me, through the Grace of God, what my actions and attitudes will be.