Bernard of Clairvaux spoke about a "perfume compounded of the remembered benefits of God".
We can attest to the moments of present blessings God gives to us, and we are often thankful in the moment. This is one addition to the bouquet of beautiful perfume.
But what of the past and the future? The beauty is in the remembering, not in the benefits or blessings themselves. When we remember these blessings and benefits with thankful intention, it is a perfume to the Lord. When we fail to remember God's blessings and benefits, we are like something that has died and began to reach a strong rancor.
Again, we are often thankful in the moment. Less but still some of us will intentionally remember the blessing and benefits of the past, when God came through in ways only he could have. But what of the future? What about the blessings and benefits yet to be given? What about the promises of God? The promises of God are the blessings and benefits of the future, and we have to be just as thankful and intentional in remembering these.
The beautiful perfume is not a bouquet of benefits and blessings, it is the bouquet of our intentional remembering. Today, have I stopped to remember with gratitude the blessings of my past, present, AND future?
