Scented Burrs

Last fall Dee and I visited the Yankee Peddler, a huge outdoor display of booths containing a variety of crafts. There were also various shows and demonstrations of primitive arts. The food booths were everywhere. The temperature was about 150 degrees in the shade. With the exception of the heat, I think Dee was in her element. Not only does she enjoy looking at an assortment of crafts, she is good at making them. As for me, with exception of the wonderful company I was in, I had seen enough candles and baskets after five minutes. I marveled at the number of husbands that were there with their wives. Most had the same expression on their faces as I did. “How long, oh Lord, how long?”

There was, however, one booth that really got my attention, as well as Dee’s. When we first entered the grounds we noticed an extremely pleasant fragrance coming from that booth. The scent permeated the area. Since we had about 3500 miles to cover, we did not stop for a closer inspection. On the way out, the fragrance still filled the air and even I had to find its source.

As we approached the booth, we noticed that the shelves were covered with clusters of burrs. Each cluster was about three inches in diameter with a very rough exterior. In their natural state, they would be shunned by most as being undesirable and even painful to the touch. But an artisan saw their potential. She took these unwanted burrs, nicely decorated them, and gave them a fragrance that brought joy to all who passed by.

The Master Artisan saw our potential in Him and He has taken us, the burrs of this world, and transformed us into objects of hope. He has taken the undesirable and given us a fragrance of joy that should be a sweet savor to the world around us. “For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.” (II Corinthians 2:15) May we be a fragrance of life to all who are in our presence.