The Lady of Perfume

Have you ever waited for that ‘perfect’ time to start something, and that time has yet to come? Perhaps you fear the new and unknown?

A sweet fragrance caught my nose by surprise.  It was a perfume worn by a lady walking ahead of my husband and me.  At the time, we were walking down a busy street, on an extremely hot afternoon in the Adelaide City Centre.

Conditions were less than perfect, and unexpected gusts of wind began to blow, threatening to topple us all over! We were all in the same fight. The fight to stay upright! I grasped my husband’s hand to keep me steady as I looked to the lady of perfume. I was intrigued. Her silken blouse moved gracefully in the wind, and she walked with an elegance in her high heels. Meanwhile, the rest of us were less than glamourous – hair in our mouth, hats flying away...  I was wondering how it was possible.

“Her perfume is lovely, isn’t it?” I said, as my voice increased in volume so I could be heard over the whistling wind. “It’s not too overpowering or strong, it’s just right, don’t you think?”  My husband’s eyebrows looked to be taking flight, a faint chuckle followed, “Well, I’m not sure about that, her perfume must be strong if we can smell it from all the way back here!”

“Hmmm”, I thought, his words echoed in my mind as if God wanted me to notice the conundrum. She was a bit of a distance ahead of us, and as an asthmatic, with a few allergies up my sleeve, perfume often meant ‘migraine and shortness of breath.’  Her perfume was different.  It didn’t have that effect. I wondered what perfume she might have been wearing.

As my husband and I, along with many other pedestrians, approached one of the City’s main intersections, the footpath narrowed significantly.  Witches’ hats and tape were splayed everywhere, while a group of council workers were sitting nearby, eating ice-cream. 

The narrowing made it hard and inconvenient to reach the pedestrian crossing, as the wind continued to blow and the heat felt like it was melting us. Cars were moving in every direction, and as we finally came close to the pedestrian crossing, our light turned red.

We all came to an untidy standstill. Some people straddled the road and footpath, looking for ways to cross the road quicker on their own, while others stood together quietly waiting.  A toddler cried, while her older brother comforted her, and several people became impatient and decided to turn around and walk back in the direction they had just come from. 

A man standing next to me turned my way and asked if I knew where Rundle Mall was located.  He told me that he and his son were on holidays and were looking for a shopping experience with air-conditioned buildings, food, clothing, and entertainment without the traffic lights, heat, and wind to contend with. I pointed in the direction of the mall, it being only two streets away – an attractive option to take!

Today, however, my husband and I were heading to a book shop – the only bookshop of its kind in the state – for a specific book that had just been released. This book was not available anywhere else, and we had been personally sent a gift card in the mail to the same value, allowing us to receive the book for free.

The lady of perfume stood patiently at the head of the line waiting to cross the road.  She looked ahead, the commotion behind not seeming to bother her.    

After a time of waiting, the cars came to a stop and the pedestrian crossing light turned green. It was now safe to cross the road, despite the wind still blowing, the heat still burning, and the cars all around.

The people were eager to cross, but the lady of perfume hesitated.

Several people were talking about the fragrance of her perfume, and it was clear that her perfume had influenced all our noses.

As the lady was at the head of the line, the people continued to wait, and wait, and wait, until she finally stepped forward.

I wondered why she had hesitated.

My husband and I made our way to the bookshop and collected our free book. We enjoyed our time looking at encouraging resources, listening to uplifting music and talking with one another. It was certainly a trip worth taking through the wind, heat and traffic. 

As I sat in a quiet corner of the bookshop, while my husband was strolling the History Isle, I talked with God. I was trying to decide whether to step out of my comfort zone and into something I had felt God ask me to do or remain stuck in fear.

I had been waiting for that ‘perfect’ time to start for quite a few years, but that ‘perfect’ time had never seemed to present itself.

“I have given you the green light and it is YOUR responsibility to cross the road,” God softly spoke to my heart, answering my question and arresting the fears I had held tightly.

I looked down at the new book in my hands, seeing the possibility to use it as a resource in my new venture. I thought back over my day and about the lady of perfume, who walked with such strength in the strong wind but hesitated to cross the road when the light turned green.

Unbeknown to her, the fragrance she had worn had an influence on many of those around her, including myself. The truth was, the perfume was not her, but rather something she wore. She stood with such grace and responsibly, waiting for that red light to turn green. Once that green light inevitably flashed, her hesitation prevented us, who stood behind her, the ability to move forward as quickly as we could have, but ultimately, she crossed and so did we.

Had she not crossed, the perfume she wore still would have influenced our noses, and I guess we would have found another way around, though the way it worked out was certainly smoother.

It’s not always easy to cross the road. Getting to that crossing can be a difficult journey, and the actual crossing requires us to take a risk. Unfortunately, we live in a world of sin, and we can still get hurt… a stray car can still bowl us over.   

The good news is that we are never alone. The Holy Spirit is our sweet perfume, and we can choose to wear Him every day!

I believe that there is certainly a time to wait on God’s leading. To wait for that ‘perfect’ time. We sometimes look for ways to cross the road on our own – impatient, the red light still flashing – and this can be very dangerous to us.  Other times we straddled the road and footpath, not completely committed to the project or decision we are about to make, which can also be dangerous for both ourselves and the oncoming traffic. At other times we may have become completely overwhelmed or discouraged and decided to run from our responsibilities, head back from where we came or opt for something more comfortable and fun, like the mall. We need to remember that sometimes the footpath is not what we expect. We might plead for an answer to a question God has already provided a green light for. We just need to keep moving forward on that footpath and cross when we see that green light. 

“Help me to see the green light and not be blinded by fear” perhaps could be a good discussion point. It’s certainly one I often find myself deep in conversation with God about.  I’m so very glad God is happy to talk through these things with me and He will do it with you, too.  

Ultimately, we exercise free choice in the decisions we make and the opportunities we accept. I like it best when I work with God in a partnership and understand that in all good partnerships, there are responsibilities on both sides. The lady of perfume helped me understand that God will do His part and I am responsible to do mine.

I love this verse found in Philippians 1:6 where Paul says, “Be confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

I look forward to the ultimate freebie of eternal life where I can be in a beautiful ‘perfect’ place and see God face to face, but for now, I encourage you to ask God about that ‘perfect’ time for you to step forward into whatever it is He has put on your heart to do for Him! Perhaps you have a green light too?

It is our privilege and wonderful responsibility to use the gifts God has given to us wisely.

The Holy Spirit will do His good work and God will never leave us.

My decision is to cross the road and go where the green light takes me with God as my leader…

What will you do? What choice will you make? Feel free to share what you plan to start… I would love to hear from you.