Every Friday I join a community of bloggers for Five Minute Friday. One word prompt, five minutes. Unedited. The prompt this week is: Criticize.

Criticism — finding fault with the actions of another or what they have done.

It can sting when you are on the receiving end and yet, all to often we forget when we ourselves are criticizing another person or action.

What immediately comes to mind is the story of the woman with the alabaster jar. She comes into the home of Simon, where Jesus was eating, broke the jar open and poured the contents onto Jesus.

Jesus comes to her defense: “But Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. Why criticize her for doing such a good thing to me?” (Mark 14:6, NLT)

The act which the disciples saw as wasteful, Jesus saw as good.

This woman gave all she had. She displayed her love and devotion to Jesus without holding anything back for herself.

In giving our all to Jesus, others may not understand. But Jesus will see our all, whatever that may be, as good.

Once the alabaster jar was broken and the perfume poured, the fragrance filled the room for all to notice. Is this not what we are still called to be?

“But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God.” (2 Corinthians 2:14-15a, NLT)

“Why criticize her for doing such a good thing to me?”
May we pour our lives out for Him,
and leave a beautiful fragrance in our world.

Image by Silvia from Pixabay
Today I am joining Five Minute Friday .