Life-Giving Bible Verses for Womenਨਮੂਨਾ

When Others Don’t Understand Your Calling

Can you imagine spending an entire year’s wages on perfume, only to immediately pour it on the ground? This is exactly what Mary of Bethany did, pouring a bottle of precious nard on Jesus’s feet. Judas Iscariot jumped in with judgment, saying that the nard could have been sold and the money given to the poor. We don’t know what the others were thinking, but awkward silence may have followed, an unspoken, “What a waste,” hanging in the air.

We may also face times when God calls us to do something that others see as a waste. They may see your actions as an unwise use of time, money, or youth, but if God has called you to it, His voice is the only one that matters. It is wise to get godly advice, but people are no substitute for the Holy Spirit. Don’t allow fear of what others will think to stop you from taking the step of faith God is calling you to. If others think you’re crazy, you’re in good company.

Along with Mary of Bethany, we see Noah building an ark while those around him likely thought he had gone insane. We see the prophets proclaiming God’s Word while God’s people mocked and rejected them. We see Jesus’s disciples leaving everything to follow Him. And we see Jesus Himself, who came not as the warrior-savior His people expected, but as a humble teacher executed on a Roman cross. What a waste, right? No! All of these people were willing to look crazy to the world out of their commitment to God’s will, and each story ended with God being glorified.

If God calls you to something that seems foolish in the world’s eyes, call to mind Jesus’s defense of Mary’s unorthodox actions. He didn’t agree with Judas but told him, “Leave her alone.” Jesus is the only one you need to please, and when you seek to please Him, your costly acts of faith are not wasteful but beautiful.

Pray: Father, may I only look to You for approval in all I do. Help me to be faithful to do what You call me to do, no matter how strange or extravagant it looks to others. Guide my steps and my actions in a way that is beautiful to You.