The Oil of Gladness

Today I think of Marcie. Marcie is a doll I loved as a child that I still have packed away in pieces. I once wrote of her and how the now dismembered doll related to the body of Christ. The first time I ever had the opportunity to preach (speak) at church she was the topic. Little did I know when I was four years old how long she would be around, or what an impact she would have on my life. When my mother gave this gift, she gave a truly faithful friend.

 

People who were in that congregation when I spoke of my faithful Marcie were in a dream I had last night. Dreaming of these people, who I thought were my friends to the end, brought to mind that milestone in my life from nine long years ago, and also constant change.

 

The church where I spoke was a big part of my life for thirteen years. It was there where I grew in Christ and became so much more of the person He had called me to be. He used people there to encourage me and show me His way. I had close friends for the first time since high school. It was there where I was ordained into the ministry and was filled with the joy of the Lord.

 

The man who allowed me to be and become a leader in this church was a great man of God who spoke the Truth and taught me the Word. Week after week I scribbled away while he preached. The sermon notes I took each week were transformed into a sermon recap I wrote for the church bulletin. I remember telling him when I first started doing this (head down writing, trying to keep up) not to think I wasn’t paying attention as he preached. He always said he appreciated anyone taking notes, taking an interest in the words he spoke.

 

The thing I remember most of speaking that first time, holding up Marcie’s disconnected arm to make a point while I spoke, was seeing this man, who I had such a deep love and respect for, writing away while I spoke. It was an amazing experience. Those thirteen years were an amazing experience.

 

Even though those chapters of my life have now ended, the whole experience was a gift. I learned so much that will always stay with me as I journey on toward the end of this book. And the dream last night? It was about a gift.

 

One of the people who I was closest to came to see me and brought me gifts that she had saved from the last three years. She told me how sorry she was for abandoning me. But alas, someone stepped in and told her she could not be where I was. She was told she didn’t have enough oil to journey there. It was interesting the word was oil and not gas, but dreams are just dreams aren’t they?

 

As we journey on through this life there are a lot of amazing experiences to be had. Some faithful friends are with us for the whole journey. Some are not. As we move from chapter to chapter, from dream to dream, it is important to stay connected to the one Faithful Friend, the greatest Gift, who leads and guides us through it all, anointing us with His oil of gladness. His name is Jesus.

 

Psalms 45:7 - Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.