My family assures me that my sense of smell is both a blessing and curse. My olfactory sense is excellent: I can sniff out the smallest hints of things in the air or food. My summation is that a lot of things are stinky. You want to find out what herbs or spices someone used in a dish, call me. You want to know if food is on the cusp of spoiling, I’m the girl for you.

What I’ve never given much thought to is how my sense can bring me closer to God. Don’t get me wrong, God gave me this body and my senses, but using incense (too intense for my delicate honker) and oils to bring one closer to God? Outside a few church events, I never gave it a thought.

Now I find there are books on the history of this intriguing subject, like Scenting Salvation by Susan Harvey, reviewed here (subscribers only). Now, you might find me sniffing out more for the glory of God.