Faith

The Present Minded Professor

by Terry Barlow
06/18/21
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When I was in college I befriended a young professor. He was the rising star of the English Literature Department and enjoyed the favor of students and faculty alike. Once when the two of us were sitting together,  I read him part of a letter I had received from a girlfriend. At one point he asked if he could hold the letter which I allowed him to do. "This letter is scented, Terry." He informed me. "That means she has a special affection for you."  I had been oblivious of the scent, so I appreciated his pointing it out to me. I was oblivious to a lot when it came to people's feelings in those days. I still am no doubt, but not as outrageously as then.  My female friend had made a concentrated effort to attach that to the letter, and it would have been lost and wasted on me without the professor's perceptiveness. 
  It occurs to me that the "letters" God writes to us in the Bible are also "scented" in that they are love letters in which He expresses His special affection toward us. The Holy Spirit calls our attention to the scent, and then we help to point it out to other recipients of the letters as we have opportunity. These love letters from God to us become our most treasured possessions. They cause us to glow and smile inwardly  and outwardly as we go about our days. We have a little secret that sets us apart, and we can't wait to share that secret with the ones God strategically brings across our paths.
  Because we have been reading and re-reading our love letters from God we ourselves are redolent with the same sweet subtle scent God attaches to His affectionate letters to us. Sometimes we are even asked, "what is that fragrant scent?" That is one way a door of opportunity opens......