John 12:1-8

John 12:1-8 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  I can make a logical case as to why you should believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that his resurrection from the dead is a historical fact supported by evidence.  You and I could agree on that and believe it in our minds to be true, but such belief would be unlikely to drive us to take a bottle of fragrance worth a years' pay and break it over the feet of Jesus.  However, if you or I were to witness Jesus using his power to raise one of our siblings from the dead, we then would likely be compelled to change the way we see our belongings and seek to do radical things to demonstrate our love and gratitude to Jesus for all that Christ has done.
  There's a difference between believing something to be true in your head and allowing that to lead your heart into a place of transformation.  I can't explain the difference or draw the path between one and the other -- putting ourselves into a place where we can have experiences of Jesus' love and grace is crucial, but that's not an equation -- we can't force Jesus to show up and do something because we have done something.  It's a relationship, and it can't be taught -- it can only be lived.  I'll say this -- it wasn't easy for Mary.  She had to watch her brother die and then mourn for days before she had an unexpected experience.  True discipleship isn't always easy, but Christ is always leading us deeper.
  So live into that relationship, and let your mind lead your heart, but mostly, create space for Jesus to do a work in your life.  We all long for this, to have an experience that transforms us.  May God bless us so.