Daniel is towards the end of his 70 year exile from Jerusalem, laying down, face in the dirt, overwhelmed and physically sick from the vision he has just had. Gabriel brings him up from the ground and interprets this vision of the ram, goat, and too many horns to count. 

Gabriel speaks of the woes and fickleness of government, the rise and fall of empires and leaders, those who exalt themselves as gods, set up alters, and kill innocent citizens, but also speaks of God restoring Jerusalem. 

Daniel was exhausted, overwhelmed, and wiped out for days after this vision and could not make sense of it. It was traumatizing and beyond confusing. Then almost like magic, he stands up and continues to serve Babylon and participate in the community. 

In the barrage of conflict this vision has thrown at Daniel, as his world is in shambles, he snaps out of it and continues to serve the city in which he is held captive. In my life, relationships, and the world around me, there are webs of complication. The hatred, bigotry, and unimaginable offenses around me often impair my hearts ability to desire to serve and pour out. God is sovereign in the midst of all of this chaos and is not moved by it. He is constant. Daniel knows what is coming in the future, and marches on. He doesn't flee or hide under a rock. Like Daniel, God leads us through this wilderness and we rise and fall, waiver and remain.  

"Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing." (2 Corinthians 14-15)

At the end of the sermon we were all asked, "Where are you placed and serving?, "Are you the fragrance of Christ?". To answer that, I am 90% a stay at home mom to a one year old, 10% a Portrait Photographer and Postpartum Doula. This places me in the daily lives of not only my child and husband, but a variety of friends, family, and strangers. I can't honestly tell you that I am the fragrance of Christ to each of those people. I can tell you that it seems far more challenging for me to care for and bring the presence of Jesus with me into my once or presently conflicted relationships, as opposed to fresh friendships that seem to be going smoothly. In those seasoned relationships, there are stubborn, biased ways my heart returns to in moments of strain. It also depends on my inconsistent human moods, and general sinfulness in regard to being quick to judge and slow to listen to those who differ from me in opinion or belief. 

I pray that the Lord would lift me up from the dirt, and give me courage to step through this conflict-saturated world, knowing of great tribulation, embodying the fragrance of Christ, serving my brothers and sisters of this city because of my love for the City of God, with the fullness and grace of Jesus,  Amen. 

~ Carly Haynes