Proud Mary  

“You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

--John 12:8

As you all know, I haven’t written in a while. I’ve been buried in mid-term exams and all the other demands of seminary scholarship. I haven’t done much of anything except give all of my time and resources to seminary for weeks.

I finally had to reprieve this morning. I was exhausted, so I sat alone with God and began to read my lectionary devotion book. As usual, when I give in to a time of peace and quiet with God, I am reminded me of the true purpose of all my activity. I know I am not alone in this struggle to meet the demands of a very full life and stay centered on the very reason for all of them.

Imagine the scene in Chapter 12 of John’s Gospel. Jesus and his friends and followers are fellowshipping together as Jesus prepares to live his final moments with them. There is a lot of activity and a lot of need, yet Mary takes time out for Jesus. She shares a sweet moment of communion with Him in which she gives Him her very best. She is criticized because there are other things she could do with her time and resources, but Jesus says those other demands remain. Mary did not wait until she was exhausted or until she had only the cheapest of her resources to give Jesus. She gave Him her very best, and His words honor her act of love and faith when he says, “You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” John 12:8 (NIV).

Part of the beauty and mystery of scripture is its vast richness of meaning, which is what I experienced this morning. I found a new understanding in this verse which I had not before seen. I found myself reading all the things my daily life requires of me:

“You are always going to have work to do…”

“You are always going to have bills to pay…”

“You are always going to have people to serve and care for…”

“You are always going to have food to prepare…”

In other words, I am reminded that I will always have other things to do and other people to lavish with my gifts. There have been times I have naively thought these demands of life would somehow diminish or go away. For example, I used to think if only I lived on some island in the middle of the ocean, life would be so simple. If you recall, God sent me to an island in the Caribbean where I found that I still had plenty to do to distract me from the real purpose of my life.

Indeed, even ministry can distract me from my purpose to love and serve God, which brings me back to the beginning. All of us have our ministries, our life purposes, but the activities surrounding our life callings –whether your purpose is to be a mother or father, a farmer, a veterinarian, a janitor, a lawyer or a seminary student – God wants our best first. I encourage you to take time to give God your best – the time you are most refreshed and can offer your best gifts to the GIVER of them all.