What To Do: When You Don’t Know What To Do

Scripture

She did what she could. She anointed My body beforehand for burial.

~Mark 14:8, NET

Quote

We must do the thing we know in order to learn the thing we do not know.

~George MacDonald

Have you ever felt exasperated, so frustrated that you did not know what to do? I have and it is an uneasy feeling. When I get down, I listen to a Ron Dunn sermon. When I saw the title of the message–What To Do, When You Don’t Know What To Do–I said to myself, this message is for me and so I clicked the play button. Many times, when we are confused and bewildered by life, we are tempted to quit, to do nothing but the story of Mary and her extraordinary faith is an encouragement to us all. Mary and Martha were sisters, but they were as different as daylight and dark. Mary was phlegmatic in temperament and Martha was chloric. Mary was introverted, timid, and reserved Martha was a lion. Martha was a type A, take charge kind of person. Martha could get things done; she was an organizer, and she was a leader while Mary was more of a follower. We do not know for sure, but it is possible that Martha was much more talented and gifted. Perhaps Mary was praying for a way to express her love for Jesus; just as Martha was doing by organizing a meal and managing the household.

In a room filled with men, Mary entered and anointed Jesus’ head and feet with expensive perfume and then she dried Jesus’ feet with her hair. The men were embarrassed and outraged. Judas called it a waste. Jesus rebuked them by saying, “Leave her alone, she did what she could.” So what do we do when we don’t know what to do? We do what we can. We do what we have the ability to do. God will not hold us accountable for gifts we do not have. I don’t play the piano, I can’t. I simply do what I can. God will not hold me accountable for playing the piano and singing solos because He did not give me those gifts. So, she did what she could and secondly, she did all she could. She did not pour part of the perfume on Jesus; she emptied the bottle. This is why she had to dry His feet with her hair, the excess perfume was running off His feet. Thirdly, she did what she could while she had the opportunity. I think Mary was expressing her love for Jesus; what she did was an act of worship, but Jesus told the hard-hearted men in the room, “She has anointed my body for burial.” The men in the room frowned on what Mary did and Mary herself probably thought it was a small gesture: only Jesus understood the full significance. What Mary did was bigger than she ever imagined. If she had waited only one week, it would have been too late to anoint Jesus before his burial.

After the incident, Jesus was not the only one in the room who smelled good. Mary had dried His feet with her hair, so the perfume was on Mary as well. Any time we love on Jesus, it will come back to us and the same fragrance that is upon Him will also be on us. So, when you don’t know what to do: do what you can. It could be to pray, send an encouraging text, write a card, make a call or a visit. You don’t have to preach a sermon, sing a solo, or write a book: just do what you can.

Extra

Continue to pray for Lincoln: they had to put a feeding tube in yesterday. Pray for his entire family. My sister Holly has not had a good week either. Pray for all our folks who are battling cancer.

Well, it is Friday, November 18 and THANKSGIVING is less than a week away. Wow, this year has passed with record speed. Have a great day and thanks for reading the blog.

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