*A sermon given by Abe Kuruvilla of Dallas Theological Seminary June 2, 2011 on Mark 14 inspired this post.*
She was a God-centered woman. Although no name is given for her, her sacrifice was tangible. God put on flesh. She stood in His presence with a humble heart. A simple alabaster jar, worth a year’s salary, broken for Him. Concern for herself absent as she poured the jar’s contents over His earthly head.
But she had critics…they believed the money spent on the ointment should have gone to the poor. They scolded her, in front of Jesus. Yet he defended her saying,
“leave her…A good deed she has done to Me. For you will always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you do not have Me always. What she could, she did.” Mark 14:6-8
“What she could, she did.” Her gift was:
- Profuse: It went above and beyond. She gave all she could give.
- Do we as moms see our jobs as a direct service to God? Do we go above and beyond? Or do we just get the job done…get it over with…get through the day?
- Pure in quality: She purchased the best quality ointment. The best she could find.
- As moms, do we give our kids the “best quality mom”? Do they get premium attention or the leftovers?
- Precious: Her gift was expensive…the equivalent of one year’s salary.
- Some of us chose to literally lose salaries to give the precious gift of time serving our kids. Some give up being with their kids to make money for their famiy. Both sacrifices are precious. We may give up leadership roles, other service opportunities, or alone time so that we can be fully present with our families.
- Praise-worthy: Jesus declares, “wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what she has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.” This woman, with no name, would forever be remembered.
- If you humble yourself by loving your children in the small things (feeding them, kissing skinned knees, changing diapers), in due time He will lift you up.
May your daily sacrifices for your children bring God glory because they are profuse, pure, precious, and praise-worthy. You may have critics who think your sacrifice is wasted. To God your sacrifice is essential. Fortunately all that matters is what He thinks!
*This post was edited from its original version posted on June 8, 2011
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