Your Alabaster Box

Your Alabaster Box

The room grew still
As she made her way to Jesus
She stumbles through the tears that made her blind
She felt such pain
Some spoke in anger
Heard folks whisper
There's no place here for her kind
Still on she came
Through the shame that flushed her face
Until at last, she knelt before his feet
And though she spoke no words
Everything she said was heard
As she poured her love for the Master
From her box of alabaster
(CeCe Winans Alabaster Box)

I heard someone do a wonderful rendition of this song at “My First Love” the stage play. It’s amazing how I can hear a song a million times, and then hear something that I had not heard before. To really understand this song, you have to know a little about the lady with the box of oil. As Jesus was about to go to what Dr. Sir Walter Mack Jr. calls “that awful surgery called Calvary”, a seemingly odd event happens. A woman comes and pours oil on His feet, and then wipes it with her hair. Strange, to say the least.

What is your Alabaster box?

Most of the people watching probably did not understand what was going on…but Jesus did. One of the disciples was brave enough to speak up and say “That’s just dumb. We could have sold that oil to feed the poor.” Jesus response should teach us the danger of using “logic” for illogical things. Jesus knew that her actions were about “purpose”. Jesus knew that she was divinely appointed for that moment…preparing Him for the cross.

At a very low point in my life, someone shared with me Psalms 126. The psalmist tries to paint a picture of someone sowing seeds, yet crying as they go. There is an awesome revelation in that….what we go through is for a reason. It is our experience (even the bad stuff) that noursishes the seeds God has given to us to sow.

Again, I ask, What is your Alabaster box? What have you made great sacrifice for? What have you cried for, given up, taken punishment for? In my tough times, God has spoken very clearly to me that I had to go through what was happening. The bible says that Jesus was “acquainted with grief”….He had felt what you are feeling. It is because He experienced this life, that He is able to understand our pain.

God, I pray for hurting people….those that are paying the price…their Alabaster box. God so many, do not understand why their road is so hard….but we know that You do. God we want to give up…we think at times that the price is too high…but You know that we must carry our Alabaster box.

God I pray now that you will strengthen us. Help us to know that we are right on track for the destination you have for us. So we trust You God. As we begin to pour the oil from our Alabaster box…our sacrifice…we trust you. Even as people around us say “it’s don’t take all that”…we trust you.

God I praise you in advance for those that will make the sacrifice.

It is so.