It has been really beautiful to watch the faith of some of the players in the World Cup. Teams are seen praying together, and even men who are on opposing teams are coming together to pray right afterwards, no matter who won or lost.
Just the other day, I saw a clip of German soccer player Felix Nmecha doing something you would never expect from an elite soccer player. He had just scored a goal and did this motion with his hands of taking a crown off his head, and then kneeling, placed it down on the ground. Standing up, he then pointed to heaven. It was a symbolic way of saying “this win is yours Lord, I am laying it at your feet.”
This beautiful act of worship reminded me of Mary, always spending time at the Lord’s feet. I love how Pastor Jason pointed out that she was found at the feet of Jesus first learning from Him, then experiencing grief at His feet as her brother had died, and finally, worshiping Him with this expensive bottle of perfume.
This week, I recorded the audible version of my new book coming out For Him and guess who I talked about? Mary!
And this beautiful act of extravagant love. Allow me to share a few words with you:
In this moment, Mary had nothing to gain. She would not “get” any-
thing from this experience. Her heart was sold out to Jesus, and anoint-
ing Him with expensive perfume only meant an act of love that, in her
mind, never needed to be repaid. It was simply a gesture of love.
This makes me wonder, what is our bottle of perfume that we are called to offer to Christ? What can we give to Him, that would cost us, but that we can freely give with nothing expected in return?
There is no doubt that laying something down that is very precious to you is difficult. It requires a “release of control” that we often don’t feel ready for. By laying these things down at Jesus’ feet, we are saying that we trust Him more than we trust ourselves.
I also love what Pastor Jason encouraged us to do on Sunday — this thing, whatever it is, in His hands — will bring something much greater than we could ever imagine. His plans for us are so beyond what we can imagine, that our false “control” over this situation pales in comparison to the extravagant love He wants to pour out on us.
He is in the business of transforming our ordinary into something extraordinary.
If you are struggling to let go…can I gently encourage you to look back? Look back on the past years where you have decided to lay things down at His feet. What has He done? How has He come through for you? Where and how did He transform? His past faithfulness is a beautiful indicator of what He plans for your future.
He can be trusted, He has always been there for you before. Maybe this thing that is hard to let go of…is His way of calling you into deeper dependence. There, at His feet, your relationship will be formed—just like it was for Mary.
At His feet, let us learn and grow, weep and grieve, and worship our incredible Savior!
Just the other day, I saw a clip of German soccer player Felix Nmecha doing something you would never expect from an elite soccer player. He had just scored a goal and did this motion with his hands of taking a crown off his head, and then kneeling, placed it down on the ground. Standing up, he then pointed to heaven. It was a symbolic way of saying “this win is yours Lord, I am laying it at your feet.”
This beautiful act of worship reminded me of Mary, always spending time at the Lord’s feet. I love how Pastor Jason pointed out that she was found at the feet of Jesus first learning from Him, then experiencing grief at His feet as her brother had died, and finally, worshiping Him with this expensive bottle of perfume.
This week, I recorded the audible version of my new book coming out For Him and guess who I talked about? Mary!
And this beautiful act of extravagant love. Allow me to share a few words with you:
In this moment, Mary had nothing to gain. She would not “get” any-
thing from this experience. Her heart was sold out to Jesus, and anoint-
ing Him with expensive perfume only meant an act of love that, in her
mind, never needed to be repaid. It was simply a gesture of love.
This makes me wonder, what is our bottle of perfume that we are called to offer to Christ? What can we give to Him, that would cost us, but that we can freely give with nothing expected in return?
There is no doubt that laying something down that is very precious to you is difficult. It requires a “release of control” that we often don’t feel ready for. By laying these things down at Jesus’ feet, we are saying that we trust Him more than we trust ourselves.
I also love what Pastor Jason encouraged us to do on Sunday — this thing, whatever it is, in His hands — will bring something much greater than we could ever imagine. His plans for us are so beyond what we can imagine, that our false “control” over this situation pales in comparison to the extravagant love He wants to pour out on us.
He is in the business of transforming our ordinary into something extraordinary.
If you are struggling to let go…can I gently encourage you to look back? Look back on the past years where you have decided to lay things down at His feet. What has He done? How has He come through for you? Where and how did He transform? His past faithfulness is a beautiful indicator of what He plans for your future.
He can be trusted, He has always been there for you before. Maybe this thing that is hard to let go of…is His way of calling you into deeper dependence. There, at His feet, your relationship will be formed—just like it was for Mary.
At His feet, let us learn and grow, weep and grieve, and worship our incredible Savior!
Erika Pizzo
Erika is an author of various books on the topics of faith, mental health, and victory in Christ. Erika lives with her husband, daughter, son, and their fluffy poodle in sunny Southern California. Her two favorite things are a visit to the beach and a chai latte in hand.