The Alabaster Jar

By Donna McMorrow

I enter a lovely light-filled room. The oak floors gleam warmly around the edges of a richly colored oriental carpet. I can smell cinnamon in the air. By the fireplace, a long-haired cat dozes on the granite hearth. Family photographs are prominently displayed on the mantel. A plush comfortable chair with a cozy throw artfully draped over it awaits me near an elegant side table that holds a lamp and a small tray complete with a cup of coffee and a few biscotti. A much-loved leather Bible awaits me. The room invites me in and calls me to linger. 

I think I could spend quality time with God in that room. It is filled with beauty, peace and comfort. I would like to pray and read His Word there. In that room, I think I could lay my heart out before God and give Him all that I am and ever will be. I could be broken before Him in that lovely place. Unfortunately, as you have probably guessed, that room is NOT at my house. 

The room in my house is considerably less lovely. An unfinished puzzle is strewn across a table. A pillow and blanket have been left discarded on the floor. Our dog is lying in the middle, enjoying a forbidden pleasure. Legos await the unwary barefoot person who strolls by. There are papers and books scattered on my desk. There are socks on the floor. The windows have smudges on them. While not filthy, this room is obviously lived in. 

This is where I usually meet with the Lord. Not in the beautiful places, but rather in the middle of the mess. Don’t misunderstand, I love my home and everyone that lives in it. However, I am very aware of the fact that no matter how diligently I clean and polish the house in the morning, it will inevitably end up a disaster at some point in the day. It means the kids have played and meals have been served. This is where I spend time communing with God. 

In my mind, there is an ideal place where I could best meet God. I tell myself when I get my act together, when I stop sinning, when the house is clean, when the kids are grown, when I am not so tired, busy, challenged, THEN I can be broken before Him. But ideal situations can be a long time coming. Maybe it isn’t about being in the perfect place or even being as cleaned up as possible. Maybe it is about being before Him just as I am. 

In Matthew 26:6-16, we read about a woman with an alabaster jar of expensive perfume. She could not wait for the ideal time or location to break open the jar and anoint Jesus. She poured it outright at the dining room table. Perhaps she would have preferred a place less public, another room, or even the nearby garden. A place alone with Jesus. A place where no one would judge or criticize her. She needed Jesus more than any other thing. She simply could not wait another moment. This woman took what she had, where she was, and offered it to Jesus. 

Psalm 146:8 says, “The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down.“ So let’s bow down to Him in the middle of where we live. Surrender our messy places to Him. Do not wait another moment. He loves us as we are.

Donna McMorrow and her husband have been married for 41 years. She is a retired special education teacher, adoptive parent, cancer survivor and child of the King. In her free time, she enjoys reading, photography and painting.