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?