I read in my quiet time today a familiar passage about the woman who brought a jar of precious perfume to pour over Jesus' head. As he was present for a supper in the home of a leprous man named Simon, she enters and pours the bottle of perfume on Christ's head, annointing him with it. Jesus knew her intentions and did not stop her or berate her, yet the disciples questioned her and then Christ. He pointed out that she was doing so as if to prepare him for his burial, knowing His time was about to come. She had no shame, no hesitation and what an act of love she performed for the Lord. What will we give to Him as a sign of our obedience, our love for His precious gift of eternal life? Every year at the time of Passover I sacrifice something in my life, give up something I really enjoy to pause for true reflection upon what Christ did for me on the cross. For you it may be time to truly break a habit, an addiction you have carried for a long time or it may be a luxury that you have come to realize is just that, a luxury and something you really don't need. Where is our focus? To extend that challenge, how long are you willing to give it up? There are some things I admit I gave up for a time but then went right back to them. This is a challenge for myself as well, so I hope you will join me in breaking free from something in your life as a tangible sign you are truly committed to Christ. We are to be like Him and not like the world, set apart for a purpose, serving the least of these as if we were serving the Lord. What will you do today for Christ?
Breathing room
The week leading up to Easter weekend this year, as part of my focus, my reflection upon this season of my life, my prayers, my meditations, my seeking greater space and breathing room-I determined it was time for me to depart social media. I had been thinking about it last year just prior to the holidays and the impending presidential election year of 2024. So I did just that, and it has been precisely what my heart and my mind needed. Since my Mom died in January, I have been thinking and internalizing a lot more with the goal to refresh, renew, re-focus. This season of experiencing simultaneous grief and peace has sharpened my internal perspective far more than any other time in my life. The reality is as life rolls on day after day, month after month, year after year, the rhythm of life brings a level of comfort and complacency for all of us. The unexpected can shake us, awaken us to a part of ourselves deep down that we didn't know was ther...
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