The Fragrance of Now

The Fragrance of Now

8/4/13

Here is the oil of right now

The fragrance of tomorrow no better

This is how:

He does not mature me to make a sweeter tea

He does not mold me to make a sharper cheese

To an infinite God

From a finite man

A mark on the measuring rod

Is a portion of His beautiful plan

An alabaster jar finds its ultimate worth

Not in scars gained in keeping it but in its moment of birth

I cannot ever look back on the now and despise what I gave

Every moment a unique sacrifice from birth to grave.  

I wrote this poem to go along with a few conversations I've had and what God has been doing in my life for the past couple of years culminating to the now. I had a conversation with a friend where he was asking how he could emulate the joy that he saw in a child experiencing something new while blackberry picking a few days before. It came to my mind that my friend's joy of seeing the child's joy is just as valid though it came in a different form. I think that we can easily fall into erroneously thinking that we have less to give than if we we're innocent like a child or more mature and full like we will be one day. The only true sacrifice we can give is to give God everything you have at that moment. 

For me I know that due to tough circumstances and emotional hardships over the last couple of years I have held back from giving everything to the ministry God has put before me. I have not done nothing but I have not given my fullest simply because there is emotional pain to give when you feel you have nothing left to give. Don't get me wrong, God feels our pain with us and comforts us and weeps with us but there is still a point where we have to put everything in His hands and just trust Him. For me I know that God has promised me a mate and while experiencing pain it is easy to hold back and wait for that promise in order to go full ahead. I want to give Him my all though and I have only this moment, this alabaster jar, to give to Him. How can I expect to give Him it all in the future if I hold back now?

Matthew 26:6-12
  6Now when Jesus was in Bethany, at the home of Simon the leper,7a woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at the table.8But the disciples were indignant when they saw this,and said, “Why this waste?9“For this perfume might have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.”10But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you bother the woman? For she has done a good deed to Me.11“For you always have the poor with you; but you do not always have Me.12“For when she poured this perfume on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial.13“Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”