The Aroma of Heaven: Cultivating a Welcoming Witness

This spring, I was walking to the neighborhood park with my children. Snacks were packed, the stroller was loaded, and my daughter was chattering away. As we made our way down the sidewalk, a lovely fragrance suddenly stopped me in my tracks. Its sweetness was so vivid and bright that I turned around, searching for the source. And there it was—a large, blooming lilac bush to my right, its freshly opened blossoms filling the air with their signature perfume. Ah, the scent of spring!

Did you know that the fragrance of a lilac bush serves an important purpose? It attracts butterflies, bees, and other pollinators, drawing them to its plump purple flowers. As I stood admiring the lilacs on that May morning, I realized it was a beautiful picture of what it means to be a welcoming witness.

Creating Our Perfume: Abiding in the Vine

The lilac’s fragrance is produced from oils developed by the flower as it grows. The sap flows up the branches and into the bud, producing both soft, purple petals and pungent, sweet perfume. Jesus uses a similar metaphor in John 15 saying, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit” (John 15:5).To produce the sweet aroma of a compelling witness, we must be nourished by the life-giving sap of our Savior.

When our witness feels weak or absent, we must ask ourselves: are we abiding in Jesus? Our outward witness is simply the overflow of the beauty, majesty, and grace we receive daily in Christ. So often we forget the magnitude of the gift we've been given—we downplay our sin, we diminish our Savior, and our witness suffers.

To abide in Christ is to encounter him in His Word and to commune with Him in prayer (John 15:7). As we do, we’re compelled to share the grace and hope that we’re continually receiving (John 15:12).

Pastor and author Dane Ortlund compares abiding to breathing. We inhale the life-giving presence of God through His Word and we exhale through prayer, lifting our praises, confessions, and requests back to him. He writes:

“Keep open the channel between your little life and heaven itself through the Bible and prayer. As you do, you will grow. You won’t feel it day to day. But you’ll come to the end of your life a radiant, solid woman. And you will have left in your wake the aroma of heaven. You will have blessed the world. Your life will have mattered” (Deeper, 158)

Sisters, our evangelism begins by abiding deeply. As we do, our witness, or “spiritual perfume”—will naturally develop and drift into our homes, workplaces, neighborhoods, and friendships. And when it does, others will be drawn to its source—Jesus.

Methods from the Master

In his three-year ministry, Jesus regularly welcomed the lost. In John 4, we find one of his longest recorded conversations—an encounter with a Samaritan woman. This encounter provides several practical tools for cultivating a welcoming witness.

1. Jesus Engages.
After many hours of travel down dusty roads, Jesus—hot, tired, and hungry—sits by a well. Then a woman enters the scene. She isn’t a Jew, one of God’s chosen people. She is a Samaritan, the people the Jews despise. When the woman approaches, Jesus could have ignored her, found His friends, or done the first-century equivalent of “checking His phone,” whatever that was. But instead, Jesus engages. He looks at her, speaks to her, and cares for her. Jesus demonstrates a heart ready to connect in any circumstance.

Do we approach our days with that same readiness? I’ve started praying in the mornings for opportunities to evangelize. This simple act has trained me to watch and be willing, even in imperfect moments—yes, even with children in tow. Jesus can use any situation. Our call is to be faithful and take that first step: smile, introduce ourselves, and engage.

2. Jesus Asks.
We often view relationships through a transactional lens. When we ask for something, it can feel like we're placing ourselves in someone else’s debt—relying on their kindness, their time, or their resources. Asking for help requires humility.

Yet in John 4:7, Jesus begins His conversation with the Samaritan woman by asking, “Give me a drink.” His simple, humble request created space for connection. Rather than coming with answers or demands, Jesus starts with need—inviting relationship through vulnerability.

I’ve found that asking for help often softens hearts and breaks down barriers. For example, over the past two Christmas seasons, we’ve hosted a cookie exchange with our neighbors. I can’t exchange cookies by myself; I need help. Each family brings something to share. As guests arrive with cookies in hand, they naturally feel more at ease—and conversations begin more freely.

Following Jesus’s example, let’s be willing to enter relationships with humility, ready to receive as well as give. When we place ourselves in a position of need or welcome another’s kindness, we open the door to personal connection. Humility prepares us to listen well—and it paves the way to share the hope we have in Christ.

3. Jesus Goes Deeper.
Isn’t it tempting to stick to small talk? Last week, I was sitting at the DMV with a couple as we worked through the title transfer for the car we had purchased from them. It was supposed to be a quick thirty minute appointment—ha ha. In true DMV fashion, the minutes ticked on and on and on. My other plans for the morning began to unravel as the time passed. By the time the paperwork was complete, we had been waiting for 3 hours. As I drove home, I was convicted. I made small talk and asked about their family—but I left without steering the conversation toward spiritual matters. I was so preoccupied with the disruption to my day that I missed the opportunity in front of me.

Jesus, on the other hand, slowed down. He pressed into the Samaritan woman’s needs (v. 13), beliefs (vv. 21–24), and sin (vv. 17–18). Through it all, he lovingly redirected her to Himself: “I who speak to you am he” (v. 26). Jesus explains that her questions find their answers in him alone. That truth hasn’t changed in two thousand years.

As we build relationships—whether over a borrowed cup of sugar or a long DMV wait—we must remember that our neighbors’ deepest needs are met only in Jesus. Some conversations will offer an immediate opening; others will grow gradually over time. But we must be ready to go beyond the surface, because eternity is at stake.

Spreading the Perfume

Like the lilac bush in full bloom, we’re called—and privileged— to carry the aroma of Christ into the world around us. When we abide in Him, drawing strength and sweetness from His Word and presence, our witness becomes a natural extension of His grace. As we engage others with humility, ask meaningful questions, and steer conversations toward truth, we echo the loving welcome of our Savior.

So, sisters, this summer, may we be the aroma of heaven in our homes, neighborhoods, and workplaces. Let our lives draw others not to us, but to the One who truly satisfies: Jesus.