Part of the power of this story, is the woman’s willingness to claim her sin and then her willingness to lay it at His feet. Before there can be beauty for ashes, there has to be the ash work.
Wait a minute. Ashes? Girl — I’ve got ashes.
We say as women, “Listen, I’ve already got ashes, I have burned every bridge, scorched every relationship, singed every dream. I got ashes.”
But this is a little different. You have to put a name to the ashes.
Name the attempts: controlling, neglecting, hiding.
Name the false gods: food, sex, clothes, rejection, religion, pride, beauty, relationships.
Name the hurts and disappointments: parents, girlfriends, work, weight, the man, dreams.
Then set them on fire. Burn them thoroughly until they are ashes. Burned up. Not recognizable. Burned up ambition. Burned up pride, burned up beauty, burned up self.
Once that is a pile of dust at your feet, then it becomes the alabaster box. Because there is nothing left but the pure nard, or fragrant oil. All that is left is a broken and contrite spirit. What an aroma. It is death to those who are perishing, those in the room with Jesus, but to those who are alive, it is the aroma of Christ. (2 Corinthians 2:15)
True worship smells like this.
Excerpt taken from Unhindered, Chapter 48
Let’s Get Real Here:
What’s in your ash heap? Are you willing to take the time and pain to do the ash work in order to get to the aroma?
amen. and i would say this is ongoing… it’s not just a one time thing. I believe for me it’s presenting myself(emotions/motivations) before Him, and asking Him to nudge at my heart when these areas are not before Him(sometimes I don’t even realize they are away from Him).
As a side note,I have also come to love this story b/c sometimes, there can be women around us that are broken and beautiful before the Lord, but we, like the pharisees(in church), or in some cases known to the Lord like Simon(story of woman who wiped his feet with her tears and anointed his head with perfume), but back to the point, like Simon we can know the Lord and still carry a condemning spirit. It’s a realization after having been “in church” to me that we can, like Simon, host gatherings with the Lord and try to control the way those around us come into His presence or try to squelch their excitement or feelings for the Lord…Not that everything should go on feelings by ANY means, but sometimes I wonder if those who aren’t in His presence, are somewhat jealous and offended by those that are. Interesting to me how us in church can make other women in church feel this same way.
And I want to thank you, Jana, for allowing women to be free before the Lord, you, and the body in your ministry.