Matthew 26:6-13 tells us this story:

6 “Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, 7 there came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. 8 But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, “To what purpose is this waste? 9 For this ointment might have been sold for much and given to the poor.” 10 When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, “Why trouble ye the woman? For she hath wrought a good work upon me.” 11 “For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always. 12 For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial. 13 Verily I say unto you, wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.” 

Here we have a woman who came unto Jesus in his last days as he sat at the table to eat his meal, she brings over a bottle of expensive and fragrant ointment and pours it on Jesus’ head. All of his followers looked at her and immediately thought that that bottle of ointment could have been sold and given to the poor. But Jesus looks at her and says that she has a done a good thing. That there will always be poor living amongst us, but he, Jesus, would not always be with them and that wherever the disciples go to tell His story, they should also tell her story, for what she did was that significant. So, I ask you, the reader, this question, what do you consider a waste? The disciples saw this woman pour a whole bottle of ointment onto Jesus’ head and thought, ‘my, my, what a waste! That could have been sold and the money given to the poor!’ But to that woman, in that moment, Jesus was the most important thing in her life. To that woman, Jesus deserved to have the most precious, expensive item she could offer. She did not want to moment to pass without giving Jesus the most that she could. 

We do not know very much about this woman. We do not even know her name. She does not take up very much space in the Bible, just 8 short verses. However, what she did was important enough that Jesus thought it should be told throughout all of the world and put into the Bible for generations to read. Jesus was on his way out of this world. He was to be put to death in two days. This woman took all that she had and gave it to him. I want us to look into our own lives right now and search our hearts. What do we have/do in our lives that could be considered a waste? The woman in this story gave her best and the disciples called it a waste but Jesus said it was time well spent. I think it is safe to say that a lot of what I do in my own life would not be considered worthwhile according to the disciples. We all can lose track of what really matters with the hustle and bustle of everyday life. But when we are giving something to the Lord, whether it be our time, our finances, words, or gifts, it is never a waste in God’s eyes. I want you to now look at your life and see all the things you are doing right. All the things you devote yourself to for the Kingdom of God and recognize that God sees it all and he does not consider it to be a waste. 

God saw what the woman was doing. He saw that she wanted to anoint him, to give him a gift that was precious to her. Jesus died on a cross two days after this story took place. But just three days after that, He rose again! He rose in spite of the hate, torture, lies, and sin that took place. And He did it so that we may be able to live a life where our sins could be forgiven. His blood poured out over each and every one of us that day. He wants all of us to know that nothing that we do in honor of Him is a waste. He sees every deed, every act of kindness, every penny spent, every warm hug, every second spent. He sees it all and He wants his children to know that He died so that we could do those things for His Kingdom. No, He does not expect perfection, that was the point of the cross, so that our sins could be forgiven, but rose again so that He could be with us every day helping, guiding, loving, holding us up for the times when we fail and fall. The cross was not a waste! Jesus’ death was not a waste! Make it count. Make everything you do count. Don’t waste your time on frivolous things. Things that cannot be brought into Heaven. Jesus said in 2 Corinthians 4:18, “While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” Meaning, the material things of this world will all stay in this world, every car, house, outfit, pair of shoes, money, it all will go down with this world. But the things which are not seen, the acts of kindness, money secretly given, moments spent with someone giving a bible study, love poured into a lost soul, time spent on our knees pleading for a life to be saved those things will stay with you forever, even into the next life in Heaven. Those things are not a waste. 

Decide today to make everything you do count, to make sure you’re not wasting your life, not wasting any amount of money or time or effort on things that will not go with you into Heaven. Remember, that what Jesus did that day on the cross, He did it for you and me. He does not consider what He did, what He went through, a waste. He gave His life lovingly, willingly. And He rose again to be with us every day so that we are never alone, never forgotten. What are you wasting today? 

He gives us Roots so we can Fly. Roots and Wings.