Imagine for a moment one of the most unreasonable scenes in the Gospels….
Mary is pouring an expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet and then wiping it with her hair.
So many things about this picture make me squirm as I imagine it…..Mary was a woman, she spent a year’s salary, she poured the perfume on his feet and then used her hair to wipe it. WOW! Would you have the courage to do such a brave act? I don’t know if I would.
Mary gave all she had. One hundred percent. She held nothing back.
Mary lived fully alive risking it all with whole heart, mind soul and strength. Mary lived her life full out. She didn’t care about what others thought and she didn’t play it safe.
This week as we look forward to Easter we have the opportunity to stop and reflect on what it means to live fully alive. Living fully alive is counter-cultural, brave and unreasonable. Most of us do not live fully alive taking risks like Mary, but what if you did? What would it feel like to live fully alive for you?
Can you imagine how Mary must have felt as poured out the perfume? Can you imagine how close to Jesus she felt? Can you imagine how she felt fully alive and living her life on purpose at that moment? Can you also see her ignoring all that was going on around her to give her all? She didn’t allow her fear to stop her from being her best.
Before she poured out the perfume she had to save her money, purchase the perfume and then choose a time where she would pour it out on Jesus. She had all of these intentions long before this scene, she planned it way before it actually happened.
I wonder what would have happened if she got scared and decided that she didn’t want to put herself out there. I wonder what would have happened if she let her fear stop her from taking this huge risk in front of other people who may think she was crazy. Mostly….I wonder how she would have felt if Friday came but she had waited until “next time” because she was too afraid. I am guessing she felt an enormous sense of gratitude that she didn’t wait until it was too late.
What about you? Do you have great intentions but then don’t carry them out because you are afraid of what others might think? Do you make great plans in your head but fail to do them because someone might think you are crazy? Have you ever missed an opportunity you had planned but then let fear get the best of you and lived with regret?
Take some time to reflect on your own life and how it might look different if you live your life like Mary. What would be different about your life? Do you have intentions you need to follow through on? Do you have a purpose you need to step into?
This is the perfect week to stop, ponder and reset!
