Even when people misunderstand your good intentions, God sees your heart and blesses your efforts to serve Him.

a woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at the table. But the disciples were indignant when they saw this, and said, “Why this waste?  “For this perfume might have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.” But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you bother the woman? For she has done a good deed to Me. For you always have the poor with you; but you do not always have Me. For when she poured this perfume on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial. Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.” Matthew 26:7-13

From time to time, undeserved criticism is the lot of every Christian. On occasion, it comes when we offer our best to the Lord and our good intentions are misunderstood. This kind of situation is described in today’s passage.

The verses from Matthew describe a woman who took a bottle of precious perfume and poured it on Jesus’ head as He reclined at table. There is no record of any great results coming from this loving gesture. No lives were saved, no converts were made, and nothing measurable was obtained. Worse still, the woman was scolded for her actions. Her efforts were viewed as extravagant, unreasonable, and irresponsible. Jesus, however, thought otherwise. The Lord’s commendation for this woman’s loving sacrifice was astonishing. He said, “What she has done will also be told, in memory of her” (Matthew 26:13 NIV).

We sometimes wonder how much God is noticing our efforts to serve Him. At times some of our greatest sacrifices seem to bring nothing but misunderstanding or criticism from our family members and friends.

But Jesus knows the depths of our soul, and He sees our heart (Jeremiah 17:10). Even if our sacrifices for the heavenly Father make little sense to others, it is His approval that matters.