My oldest recently asked me “If you could pick one sense to lose, what would it be?”
If he had asked me the same questions a year ago I would have quickly replied “smell,” but that was until I lost my sense of smell.
One day I was trying to smell something and realized I could not. Looking back, I think it was gradual because my daughter complained several times about my toddler’s stinky diapers but it didn’t register that my sniffer was not working the same until the day I sniffed and there was no smell, like NADDA, NOTHING!
I figured it would eventually come back but after doing some research, I found out this was a symptom of covid-19 and that it’s not always coming back. (Although I have none of the other symptoms and have not had a positive test for covid.) So recently I started olfactory training by smelling lemon, rose, eucalyptus and cloves for 20 seconds a day. I’m praying this works.
During this “adventure,” my taste has really suffered too. Doctors say this has to do with the fact that taste and smell are intricately connected. Whatever the reason, this all stinks. (pun intended)
I can’t tell whether food has spoiled because I can not smell it. I can’t smell hot smells or fires. I don’t know when to change my son’s diapers because I can’t tell that he pooped. I can’t tell if I smell bad or if my towels smell bad or if my kids smell bad. I have no sense of smell and until now I had no idea that my sniffer was so valuable.
Confession time: Yep, I am THAT mom who sometimes has to wash the same load 3 or 4 times because of leaving them in the washing machine. …and so yes I have been having my 6 year old smell the clothes. ☹
…oh and did I mention that it’s almost autumn when all the smells are beautiful. ☹ I WANT IT BACK!!!!!!!
I will be very thankful when/if I can smell again. Yet this has been a valuable lesson to me.
1 Corinthians 12 says “or the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked. That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
I totally get this passage! Even though I always took my nose for granted I now see how valuable it was and is.
It’s so easy to lift ourselves up and think we are the heart or the lungs of the body and overlook the earlobe or the gallbladder BUT every part of the body is necessary and when one member suffers we all suffer. Paul reminds us that there should be no divisions but instead we should give each member the same care.
The superstar member should get the same care as the annoying member, the awkward member or even the “seemly useless” member. We are ONE body and so we all either suffer or we all thrive.
We are all so gifted and yet we are all so different. We were created to be the sanctified “US.”
Unique.
Awkward.
Different.
Yet GIFTED and VALUABLE.
Let’s not take each other for granted but encourage and lift up each other so we can be all we were created for.
-Joy