The Easter season every year is celebrated with pomp all over the world by the Christian community. It is a great time to remember how Christ Jesus died and resurrected and gave us the assurance that He will come back for us. Personally, I love this season more than even Christmas!

During this season, I would call your attention to the Passion Week (Holy Week) which takes place from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday (Resurrection Sunday). This week includes main events called Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday, Spy Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday.

As I read through the details of all these days, I was more attracted to Holy Wednesday which is also the Spy Wednesday. The latter title is because it is believed this is the day that Judas Iscariot first conspired with the chief priests to betray Jesus.

But this is not what caught my attention, rather the event before Judas accepting thirty pieces of silver as payment for his betrayal. And that is the anointing of Jesus. This was done by a woman at Bethany who used expensive perfume. Her name was recorded as Mary. She is also known as the Woman with the Alabaster Jar.

What touches me most is her willingness to give a very valuable possession to express her faith and repentance. She did not care that the disciples thought the sale of the ointment could benefit the poor and pouring it on Jesus was a waste.

All she cared about was expressing that she acknowledged that she was a sinner and needed redemption and the one person that could fully grant her desires was no one else but Jesus of Nazareth.

Today, I am moved to recall one very valuable possession that I had to give up and the motive behind it was to say to my Heavenly Father that I totally surrendered to His will and just like Abraham, I was willing to sacrifice my Isaac for the sake of obedience to His voice.

Being an Accountant by Profession, I have prepared budgets of relatively great value and felt the pressure to report within the set limits despite the unforeseen challenges. There is that need to want to control everything to ensure everything goes as planned.

But I have come to learn that not all things turn out as per initial expectations.

In life, for some of us, the five year plan has not fully worked out the way we pictured it. At some point we fell so bad that we did not see how we could ever get out of that pit. We went so astray that we cannot recognize the person we see when we look at the mirror. For some, the 10 year plan has been full of disappointments.

But looking at Mary and how she wept at Jesus’ feet speaks of both repentance and pain. I have so far not seen anywhere in Scripture where she uttered a word. I assume she must have searched and found out where Jesus was and had that high expectation that He would understand her actions without the need for her to explain herself.

That He knew her past well enough to sympathise with her.

Her reward for this action was more than what she expected. She was not only forgiven of her sins but a promise that her actions will never be forgotten accompanied by the gospel proclamation all over the world. Despite the book of Matthew not stating her name, it did not stop her story from being recorded.

In my small personal experience of giving up control on the future, often I received more than I gave up or even thought I wanted.

One way to celebrate Easter this year is to give up what you value most. Am not saying you throw away your households or give up your jobs, cars or for some, spouses and children.

One way to give them up is to actually place them at the feet of Jesus. To be frank, there is no event in your life that our Heavenly Father is not aware of. He is an Omnipresent God.

He, for one, knows what it means to give up a valuable possession (His one and only son, Jesus) and in return He is able to have all of humanity. Many more sons and daughters to live with Him eternally.

Jesus himself left his glory in heaven to become a man on earth knowing well enough that He will be killed by the same people he came to save. The same people He loves.

May this give us the confidence to come to Him,not with so many words, but rather a heart broken before Him as He has promised in His word that, that is one thing He will not despise.

For some of you, it may mean that you give your life to Christ while some it may be rededicating it. What better time to do this! May the Holy Spirit move in you as He desires.

I am moved to end with this prayer and join me if you may.

“Lord, I say thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I cannot imagine a life without a place for redemption that you have so graciously provided. Please teach me how to accept your mercy and grace that I may live to the fullest. Breathe your Spirit on me to enable me fulfill my purpose on earth. May I please you in all that I do. Amen!”

#HappyEaster

#Hopeforyouandme