“And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head.” Mark 14:3

This is one of my all time favorite accounts in the Bible. It is one of the last meals Jesus had before He went to the cross. He chose the home of a leper and allowed a woman to anoint Him. I would have loved to have been apart of this story. Both Simon and this woman, who other accounts tell us it was Mary, were not in the most seen group of people, but He saw them. I love the heart of Jesus, don’t you? If He saw them then how can I doubt that He sees me too?

A few verses down from this meal, another took place. This time in an upper room and Jesus and His disciples were celebrating the Passover. “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, ‘Take, eat, this is My body.” (Mark 14:22). The common thread that stuck out to me today was the brokenness. One a costly bottle of perfume and the other the priceless body of God’s Son. Both willingly given and poured out for others. One was a beautiful picture of worship, the other the price paid for us to be able to worship Him forever in eternity. Neither held back, complete surrender. One gave the best she must have had, the other gave Himself. Both knew it was worth the cost. Love is extravagant.

At some point in each of our lives we too must count the cost. Do we go the way of self or the way of Him? My kingdom come and my will be done or His Kingdom and His will? It is a costly decision to be sure. Often the one breaks us completely and for the rest of your life you try and feel whole again. The other breaks us completely, but then we allow the One broken on our behalf to put us back together completely whole. One leads to a life centered on self and eternity separated from God. The other leads to a life centered on Him and eternity in the presence of God. Both lives include worship, one of self the other of Him.

If breaking is inevitable because our world is broken, which life do we want? I have chosen the way of Mary, poured out all I have and allowed Him to make me whole. There are plenty of things to work on, but I am being made into His likeness everyday. A breaking is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, in can be the beginning of a brand new thing if placed in the hands of our Creator. Remember, “We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10). Being broken and remade anew makes us a masterpiece intended for good plans. This is a very good offer, friend. May you accept the One who willingly died for you and spend your life in love with Him. Oh! In the end, there will be another meal and those who have accepted Him are invited. I hope we get to sit by one another.