I determine to live intentionally, God.
My life will be one of preparation and purpose,
bringing a heavenly fragrance into the stuff of earth.
~Jerome Daley
The scent of a flower invites wildlife to its fragrant banquet, and the guests in turn purposefully do what they do so that the banquet table will never vanish or be empty. The Israelites were asked repeatedly in the Old Testament to offer up burnt sacrifices as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. Though animals are no longer sacrificed as burnt offerings, there are ways we can offer up a pleasant aroma not only to the Lord but as Daley suggests to bring a heavenly fragrance into the very “stuff of earth.” Even when physical pain or emotional loss, like a knife wielding demon, carves out great chasms of anguish within body and soul, one can choose to emit “a heavenly fragrance” instead of a demon-defeated foul stench. So it is that today I lift up my voice as a pleasant aroma to the Lord though the challenges of an aging and ailing body be great and painful. And this lovely gladiola that came only to be blown to the ground by high winds, I count not as loss but as gain that the lovely lady came at all.
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. -Psalm 19:14 ✝
Thank you, Lord Jesus, that you save, you heal, you restore, and you reveal Your Father’s heart to us! You have captured me with grace and I’m caught in Your infinite embrace! Like Saint Hildegard Lord, may I too be a feather on your holy breath and spread, like seeds, the gospel abroad.
Sacred Touches 
a humbling reminder to always offer up heavenly and not the feted as you note—when feted is always so much easier and so less than—when we are called to be greater than…
lovely–
Julie
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Thanks, Julie. Hugs, Natalie 🙂
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Beautiful flower Natalie, I love this one! 🙂
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Thank you, Michael. It was a new gladiola that I just planted this year. It had just started to bloom and was so beautiful. Then the wind bent it over to the ground. So I brought her in and have enjoyed her beauty in a vase in my kitchen. Blessings, Natalie 🙂
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I just love flowers. When life is not going well I love going out to discover beautiful flowers around me to lift me up. I always feel good afterwards. Lovely post. 😀
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Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed the post. I have to have flowers too. They are the only solace when trials come. Hugs, Natalie 🙂
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Natalie, your message is as lovely as the gladiola. It’s a choice for us to offer up either perfume or a stench by the thoughts and words we have and give. Nothing is hidden from the Master Gardener.
Blessings ~ Wendy ❀
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Thank you, Wendy. I’m glad you enjoyed the post. Nothing is hidden from Him indeed. Hugs, Natalie 🙂
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Reblogged this on Purplerays.
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Thanks! Wow you went way back this time!😊❤
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