Just days away from his crucifixion, Jesus was sharing a meal with some friends in a little village outside of Jerusalem.聽
While he was eating, a woman came in, broke open a very expensive jar of perfume and poured it on Jesus鈥� head.聽Immediately, those gathered began complaining about this woman鈥檚 actions, and how this perfume could have been sold for more than a year鈥檚 wages and the money could have been given to the poor (Mark 14:5).
As they continued to grumble, Jesus turned to them and said, 鈥淲hy are you bothering her?聽聽She has done a beautiful thing to me鈥�. She did what she could!鈥� (verses 6-8).
I love the line, 鈥淪he did what she could.鈥�
This woman did not fix every problem.聽She did not stop the hate that the religious leaders felt toward Jesus.聽She did not take away the pain that Mary had to endure as she watched her son being crucified.聽She did not take away the disciple鈥檚 fear.聽She did not convert the entire village to believe in Christ.聽She did, however, do something kind, and Jesus praised her for it.聽She did what she could.
I wonder what would happen if I approached the new year with that same attitude.聽Instead of looking for excuses and reasons to remain uninvolved in what is happening around me, what if I did what I could to support and encourage others?聽What if I forgot about me and put you first?聽What if I took some action, however big or small it may be, and trusted that God could use it?
I do not know exactly what would happen, but I do know this:聽2019 would be a good year, because I would be invested in making things better.聽
Unlike other New Year鈥檚 resolutions, this one is not about being better, working harder or doing more.聽It is simply about changing our attitudes and seeing what we can give rather than what we can get.聽聽聽
Forget about doing something big and splashy.聽Forget about whether you will be noticed or not.聽Forget about the cost.聽Just do the good that you can do.聽Something good will come of it and God will be praised.
