The Aroma of Jesus
By Flo Hendriksz
………..and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Ephesians 5:2 (NIV)
When I did my usual weekly shop last week, I noticed that the supermarket was promoting a few food brands, and small tables containing some treat size ‘tasters’ were strategically stationed at the end of some of the aisles. As I passed each table I inhaled the unique aroma of that particular dish and I have to admit that some dishes were very tempting!
In a very strange way it reminded me of Crag House Farm, the home of Caring For Life. In one way or another our therapeutic projects carry their own inimitable aroma.
The woodwork shop and the stables are situated opposite each other at the top of the yard and this means that on some occasions, as you walk between the two projects you are treated to a rare mixture of horse manure and the light fruity smell of wood which is being planed!
As you walk down the yard, the mouth watering aroma of home cooking entices you into the Granary and if you manage to resist this temptation, you could stimulate your sense of smell further with the mixture of rosemary, thyme, lavender and many other herbs in our herb garden.
The earthy smell of fresh vegetables, combined with the very distinct smell of freshly harvested onions then draws you into the Horticulture project.
During the summer, the conservation project provides a range of aromas, the delicate musky scent of elderflower mixed with the sweet overpowering scent of the silage in the fields; then we have the crisp, earthy smell of winter from November through to March, when the snowdrop and crocus announce spring.
On all of these projects, you will find staff and volunteers working alongside some deeply troubled and hurting people, whilst striving to imitate Jesus by loving and serving those in our care. I would like to think that as we show Jesus’ love to these folk, we can be that sweet aroma to God and thereby ensure that the aroma of Jesus constantly permeates Crag House Farm, whether it is summer, winter, autumn or spring.
