In the New Testament, there is a story of a woman who comes and pours expensive perfume over Jesus’ feet and wipes it with her hair. In John, it is Mary, Lazarus’ sister. In the others, she is anonymous. There is a reaction among the disciples: What a waste! We could have used it for the poor. But Jesus tells them she is preparing Him for burial.

In Romans 12:1, Apostle Paul urges us to live sacrificially. Our bodies, he says, need to be living sacrifices for God. This is not so easy to accept or imagine. Sacrifice brings a sense of loss or death. Who wants to lose or die? The owner of the expensive perfume sacrificed it. It is gone. The story lives on, just like Jesus said it would, but of the perfume, there is nothing left.

Our lives are like this expensive perfume poured out for God. It is a beautiful thing we do for Him when we live our lives for Him. And, of course, there will be those who look at the followers of Christ who sacrifice quite a bit and proclaim, “What a waste!”

What remains hidden from those eyes is that nothing done for Jesus is a waste. It would be if this world was the only one for us. But we are investing in a greater asset that cannot be taken away from us. Not only do we glorify God with what we pour out, but we also accrue interest for our eternal life. That is a sweet deal.

God bless you and your loved ones!

Meryem Kennedy