Will You Smell Chili for Eternity?

Philippians 3:20-21: For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He had even to subject all things to Himself.

While cooking chili last weekend, one of my children came into the kitchen and commented on how good the chili smelled. I agreed with him; nothing smells better on a cool fall day than chili. This smell led him to an interesting question, “Mom, what do you think Heaven will smell like?” I did not know what to say. I had never thought about the smell of Heaven or if we will have a sense of smell in Heaven. I told him that I thought it might smell fresh; fresh like after it rains. He asked if I thought it would smell like chili. I explained to him that I don’t think Heaven would smell like chili since a lot of people don’t like chili. If you were not a fan of chili, you would not want to spend eternity smelling it. He said that several years ago in children’s choir they talked about Heaven being so wonderful and so much more than you could ever imagine that it would contain new colors that you had never seen before. He reasoned that if our eyes would see new colors then he could smell chili in Heaven. I honestly don’t know. What is your opinion?

I did what I always do when I am faced with a question that I don’t know the answer and can’t find it in the Bible- I goggled it. Obviously, you get some pretty strange matches for a Google search on “Will we smell in heaven?”. You have to examine your sources carefully. Luckily, I came upon a match to my search that contained an excerpt from Randy Alcorn’s book Heaven. Here is Randy Alcorn’s opinion:

God designed us with five senses. They’re part of what makes us human. Our resurrection bodies will surely have these senses. I expect they will increase in their power and sensitivity. We’ll stand on the New Earth and see it, feel it, smell it, taste its fruits and hear its sounds. Not figuratively. Literally. We know this because we’re promised resurrection bodies like Christ’s. He saw and heard and felt and, as he cooked and ate fish, he presumably smelled and tasted it. We will too.

I am thankful for a child that helped me to stop today and reflect on the “realness” of Heaven. What’s your opinion? What are your favorite smells that you hope to smell in heaven?

Kelly