Comfort in a Cloud

"Mary," said I, "you must have very dark days; they must be overcome with clouds sometimes." "Yes," said the dear old saint, "but then I often find there's comfort in a cloud." "Comfort in a cloud, Mary?" "Yes. When I am very low and dark I go to the window, and if I see a heavy cloud I think of those precious words, 'A cloud received Him out of their sight' (Acts 1:9), and I look up and see the cloud sure enough, and then I think: 'Well, that may be the cloud behind which my Saviour is found,' so you see there is comfort in a cloud."

- taken from One Thousand Tales Worth Telling by Henry Pickering

wasted?

And there were some indignant in themselves, and saying, Why has this waste been made of the ointment? - Mark 14:4

Mary poured out something very precious and expensive upon the Lord Jesus and was accused of wasting. Isn't that always the cry of the world? If we're all sold out to God and devoted completely to Him, it would be a waste in the world's point of view! Waste of talent, waste of resources, waste of intelligence and so much more.

If we're going to heed the call of the world and follow after it's principles and fancies, it would seem a waste from God's point of view. Waste of potential for the Lord knows what He can make out of us. But it would require our complete obedience.

Worse still is the waste from our own point of view. This is when we try to please both God and the world. We go nowhere in the world and see all that we've sacrificed as waste but only because we're not enjoying the blessings of a full obedience to God either.