Amazing Grace

 

            I’ve been searching for a signature scent for quite some time now, ever since my dad casually commented that my sister and I are now at an age when we should be known for having a distinct fragrance. We were never big on fragrances, and whenever we put some on it would be from a bottle of no-fuss, no-nonsense Johnson & Johnson Baby Cologne, but hearing this from Papa persuaded me into investing some of my hard-earned salary on a fragrance that was more expensive than our usual drugstore fragrances.

            I’m happy to report that I’ve found my signature scent: Philosophy’s “Amazing Grace.” It truly IS amazing! I’m no fragrance expert so I’ll just re-post the descriptions of other similar-minded (or similar-nosed?) women who favour the scent above the more “luxurious” brands:

             “... a uniquely feminine blend of soft, floral blossoms accented by a hint of light musk...”

            The scent is sooooo pleasant, I never get tired of spritzing it on (I bought the body spritz because it was considerably less expensive than the actual perfume). Perhaps the most amazing thing about this scent is that it is never overpowering, as I believe it is the essence of lightness! I read testimonials of women claiming that people commented on how good THEY smelled, instead of getting the usual “How good your fragrance smells!” comments.

In my case, I didn’t know that wearing a simple scent could be so much of a pick-me-upper! Also, it doesn’t attract attention because it is so mild... JUST what I wanted in a scent. People have to be standing REALLY close to you before they notice. I’ve received compliments on how good I smelled, mainly from my kindergarten students when I’m bending over them while helping them get a firmer grip on their pencil as they struggle to finish their writing assignment for the day. Hehe, I’ve had a five-year-old nuzzling me in the neck, cooing, “Teacher, how NICE you smell!” J

Why am I writing about grace in a bottle? Well, mainly because it’s the season of Grace, and I can’t help but wish that Grace can, truly, be put in a bottle and sprayed on people as needed. For the world is badly in need of Grace.

Look up “grace” in the dictionary, and one finds several meanings:

 

-- elegance or beauty of form, manner, motion, or action.

-- mercy; clemency; pardon: an act of grace. 

-- the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God.

-- the influence or spirit of God operating in humans to regenerate or strengthen them.

 

            While I cannot claim ownership of the first definition mentioned above, I am extremely grateful to be the beneficiary of the 2^nd and 3^rd definitions. Now THIS... this is Grace, and what makes it amazing is that we are so undeserving of it. And yet, nearly two millennia ago, God walked amongst us, in human form. God endured the unendurable, suffered all the cruelties and hardships that the evil world had to offer, and did all of this even before we took our first breath. He loved us, when we had not yet even come into existence. He loves us now, despite our sins and unworthiness. And He will continue to love us, though we may falter and disappoint Him and fall in and out of active communication with Him. He suffered what no other person could have suffered precisely because of His amazing love for us.

            How breathtaking, how truly amazing Grace really is! And so each day I spritz on this scent with a prayer, that I may be reminded each and every second of the wondrous gift I’ve been given, and that I communicate this gift of grace to others around me, not so I will be known as a “grace-ful” woman, but so I can begin to repay (though I acknowledge the impossibility of my quest) Him who sacrificed so greatly for all our sakes.

            Have a grace-filled Season! J