We sat in ‘homeroom’ anxiously waiting for the bell to launch us into our first-period class. Mrs. Wilson was our homeroom teacher. She was kind, soft-spoken, and on task. Each day she made a point to ask a student to read from the Bible, then she prompted someone to lead us in prayer.
I would love to say that God used that time to usher in a great revival to Binford High, but that wasn’t the case. Perhaps He used it to touch only one life over the years. Or maybe He coupled Mrs. Wilson’s efforts with the efforts of other believers in the area to deeply impact Montgomery County. Only God knows. The point is Mrs. Wilson did what she could where the Lord placed her.
Few of us will stand before thousands to preach the gospel. Not many of us will travel to a third-world country to introduce the lost to Christ. The question is will we be about kingdom business where we are?
Did you ever hear someone say something, and you thought, “That’s exactly what I need to hear?” God is kind that way, isn’t He? I remember listening to a podcast a year or so ago from a man named Andy Christofides. He is a pastor in Wales someone introduced me to. He shared the account of the woman who anointed Jesus with the expensive ointment. You know the story.
And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her. But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her (Mark 14:3-9).”
Pastor Christofides pointed out something that’s easy to breeze past. He noted that Jesus said that the woman had done what she could. This was a simple statement, but potentially life transforming. The pastor recommended the woman’s actions as a pattern for those who belong to the Lord. He said that our goal should be to imitate the Samaritan woman’s efforts, she has done what she could (Mark 14:8).
I find that refreshing and within my grasp. I don’t need to waste time comparing myself with others – their abilities, their situation. I don’t need to spend the day reflecting on past failures. I don’t need to put off serving the Lord until some point in the future. It’s easy to say, “When this happens – whatever my ‘this’ is at the moment – I’ll faithfully serve the Lord.” I need to do what I can right where I am.
What about you? Will you be content doing what you can right there where the Lord has placed you?
