A favorite picture sits on my desk. The grey rock of a tomb dominates the background. On the right hand side a man is walking. But it’s the left side of the picture that draws my attention. A pottery jar lies on its side in the grass, its lid fallen separate, forgotten. A woman kneels—if you can call it that when she’s still in motion—with one leg in front of the other, her back foot scarcely touching the ground. Her face is radiant, arms upraised, stretched out; her whole body leans forward, garments still flying behind her as though she has been running toward the man and has fallen, mid-stride, into worship.
She wasn’t seeking joy; she was seeking Him. And so she came, bringing spices to anoint the body of the most precious person in her life. When the other disciples went home, she stood outside his tomb, crying her questions, speaking her grief. And now, in the midst of the being present and the letting go, the grieving and the not understanding and the staying there, she is met by the one she has been seeking, met and named. She finds him—or, rather, he finds her—and in him she finds herself. In that moment, her grief is gone. She was doing all she knew to do—staying close, coming to anoint his body. Now he gives her other work to do, and she goes gladly to spread the word, “I have seen the Lord!”
Thank you once more for a thought provoking missive. I always have to take a few moments and ponder after reading your comments.
When I came to the part that said she was not seeking joy rather Him I thought of wise comment by C.H. Spurgeon. “I looked to the Lord and the dove of peace flew into my heart. I looked at the dove and it flew away.”
Many blessings as you travel this unplanned road.
Gordon
Gordon B. Rumford L.Th., H.B.A., M.A., M.T.S. (cand.)
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Oh, that’s a beautiful quote from Spurgeon! Thanks so much for sharing it, Gordon.
So thankful that your difficult Christmas with its grieving, not understanding and staying there to do what you could, have resulted in the joy of seeing the Lord!