Hot Cupcake Aromatherapy

But thanks be to God, who...through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God...  2 Corinthians 2:14-15

One step into the porch of our farmhouse after a cold winter’s playtime in the snow, and my numbed senses were awakened! I could already guess what my mom had been busy baking from the warm chocolaty aroma that permeated the house and now seeped into the entry, filling my nostrils. As quickly as I could barrel out of my boots and slip off my snowsuit, I was in the kitchen, peering over the stove at my Mom’s famous farm sour cream chocolate cupcakes, fresh from the oven. (I often wondered how Mom managed to time her baking so precisely, that she was pulling the piping-hot pans from the oven just before we walked through the door!)

The warm chocolate fragrance that wafted through the air that cold winter day, sending me the tell-tale sign of what awaited me in the kitchen, was an aromatic reminder of Mom’s love for me. The mouth-watering pleasure I received by its mere scent, before it had even touched my lips, brought about a mysterious mood change in me! A numb, cold, and tired little girl was suddenly awakened, warm, and excited!

Aroma, a powerful invisible influence, can change our thoughts, our attitudes, our priorities, our pain. No wonder so many people seek relaxation and healing through aromatherapy.

Is there any fragrance sweeter or more powerful than the love of the Lord? As His love reaches our nostrils, do we take a deep whiff or do we sometimes stubbornly hold our noses, stuck in our stinky attitudes, our poor priorities, and our pain? God’s love in Christ is the most powerful aromatherapy; it slips sweetly into us, covering our unpleasant odors and healing us of our sins. As we breathe in God’s Word, we take in His love that sent Christ to the cross and provided the forgiveness that followed. He fills us with His Spirit and mysteriously changes us from numb and cold to awakened and warm!

His fragrance fills us and permeates us; in fact, God says we are the aroma of Christ. As Christians, we have been called to spread “…the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.” He uses us to teach others of His saving love in Christ.

As people come into our lives, crossing paths with ours, does the fragrance of Christ waft gently to them? Are we an aromatic reminder of God’s love for them? Yes, we are! By the power of the Holy Spirit at work in us, we can breathe out His saving love everywhere!

Dear Lord, May my life be a fragrant offering to You! Continue to use me, empowered by Your Spirit, to teach others of your saving love in Christ. In His precious name I pray, Amen.

Mom's Farm Sour Cream Chocolate Cupcakes

2 cups sugar

2 cups heavy cream, turned sour

3 cups flour

4 eggs

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. baking soda

6 T. cocoa powder

2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup hot water

Cream all ingredients together well. Grease cupcake pans or fill with paper liners. Fill 2/3 full with cupcake batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Makes 3 dozen cupcakes.