Alabaster Jar

While He was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his Head.

Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, "Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year's wages and the money given to the poor." And they rebuked her harshly.

"Leave her alone," said Jesus. "Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to Me....She did what she could...."

Mark 14:3-6,8

So today I sliced my finger open while cleaning a counter top in the kitchen. You may wonder what that has to do with the above passage of Scripture. I'll get to that.
 
I was moving a bottle of extra virgin olive oil out of my way when it slipped out of my hand, and the next thing I know there is a flood of evoo all over the place. The bottle itself broke.
 
It may sound odd, but truly the first thing that came into my mind was the woman who broke her alabaster jar of perfume and anointed Jesus. She deliberately (and you could perhaps even say defiantly) adored, worshipped, and poured all of what she could onto Christ. Jesus even said that she "did what she could." That whole "one thing" God has been speaking to me lately seems to fit here, too. She was focused on one thing. She was not focused on what others were saying about her, how others would perceive her, or how costly (literally) her sacrifice was. She poured herself unto Him.
 
Is that what I do? Or do I break my proverbial alabaster jar open for other things? If my thoughts and concerns are transfixed on the world, doesn't that say that my treasure is stored in the world? If I am worrying about money, am I not breaking my alabaster jar upon the head of worry?
 
Financial burdens are real. Believe me, I know. I am no stranger to struggle and never have been. But why should I give all my attention to a worldly worry rather than focusing all my attention on the One who has always provided?
 
The only thing I need to be anointing in my heart is Jesus. Not fear, not anxiety, not worry. I need to trust Him. Worry indicates that I do not.
 
How does the cut finger fit into this? Well, it just made sense to me that, if I am breaking myself open for    (insert worldly thing here)   , then I am quite likely to get cut. Nothing good comes from worry. It cuts us, it hurts like you-know-what, and it can possibly lead to an infection.
 
All that I could do was take care of my wound, clean up my mess, and move forward in the right direction. I want to do what I can for the Lord. I don't want to give one more ounce of my energy to fear.