The Sudden & Slow With Jesus
Drawing near to Jesus, Refresh Heroes and New Health Rhythms
John 12:3
Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
Matthew 25:4
But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
What does intimacy with Jesus look like for you?
This is illustrated in a number of ways throughout the scriptures, but the image of anointing oil from a broken jar, and oil vessels belonging to maidens in waiting, remain close to my heart.
Mary took the costliest thing she owned and poured it on her Beloved’s feet. The wise maidens remained ready, even in slumber, with oil for their lamps, awaiting the Bridegroom. God the Father, time and time again, beckons us to turn our heart toward His beloved Son.
In this offering and preparation is both the sudden and the slow. In a moment of intense passion and love for her saviour, Mary bought the fragrant offering ready to be broken and poured out. The young maidens, anticipating a ceremony of celebration and unknowing of when the Bridegroom would arrive, cultivated their intimacy and longing all the while. Through both instances, a posture of deep love and belief birthed fruitful devotion, and their lives moved and worked around this intimacy.
Most days I find myself scheduling time with Jesus like ‘okay here I am, please show up now’, but both of these moments we read about weren’t within the bounds of a schedule. It is as though Jesus sends you a beautiful hand-written invitation to be with Him, to meet with Him, just the two of you. And under the date section it just says “forever and always.”
Whether in the slow or the sudden, whether in plenty or lacking, we can draw near to Jesus. We can pour out a fragrant and extravagant offering to Jesus, and we can ready our vessels and be filled with the Holy Spirit. The gospel beckons devotion at His feet and readiness for His arrival all in the same breath.
Refresh Heroes
At a recent connect group for church, someone affectionately spoke of George Mueller as their faith hero, as he carried audacious faith in God. His story is an incredible one, however by inspiration from that moment, I felt to start a little Refresh Heroes thread here. There is nothing like the power of testimony and the first person who came to mind was Corrie Ten Boom.
To put her life into a paragraph is a disservice. Along with her faith-filled family, Corrie hid and relocated over 800 jews during the WWII German occupation of the Netherlands. Unfortunately they were turned in by an informant, and eventually sent to a women’s labour camp where her sister died from illness. Even in their flea-infested barracks, facing unthinkable conditions and abuse, Corrie and her sister would hold church services with the other women.
Post-war, Corrie opened a rehabilitation centre for healing and shared the gospel around the world, speaking on forgiveness and the absolute love of Christ. Her biography, The Hiding Place, is full of incredible stories and miracles in the midst of the deepest darkness. Her life was one of leaning on God wholly and completely, when utter brokenness surrounded her.
“Worrying is carrying tomorrow's load with today's strength - carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying doesn't empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.” - Corrie Ten Boom
Health Routines
Perhaps the trickle of sunnier days combined with a desire for routines, has motivated me somewhat to partake in some light (stress on the word light) pilates to kickstart the day.
As someone who doesn’t warm to high-intensity, these YouTube workouts have been actually enjoyable and beautiful reminder of stewarding my body, and cultivating gratitude for small things like movement. If your attention span is limited like mine, then I highly recommend Lidia Mera. Her workouts are not only short and sweet, but she is also calm in her approach.
Praying you have a blessed week.
Sarah
Beautiful! 💛