Matthew 26:10-13
When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me.  For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.  For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.  Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.

The woman, Mary, had not done this to be noticed.  She had not done it for attention or so her name would be known.  She did it for Jesus.  She had heard Him foretell His death.  She had heard Him say His end drew near.  And though surely her heart filled with sorrow at the prospect of losing her Lord, she also realized there was something she could do.  She had this precious ointment.  Perhaps she had it for a while, or maybe she got it specifically for this purpose.  But she brought it forth to be used for Jesus, to anoint His body for  burial.

And though the disciples would scoff and sneer at her for doing such a thing, Jesus would honor her for that.  He shuts down all her critics.  He knows her heart and her purpose.  And He Himself honors her for this sacrifice she was willing to give for Him.  He makes sure this event is recorded in His Word to remember her and also as an example and encouragement to us.

We don’t have to be dissuaded or discouraged by those who don’t understand why we do what we do for the Lord.  We don’t have to feel ashamed or think we are doing something wrong.  But we also don’t do those things to be noticed or for praise.  Like Mary, we do those things with humble hearts, and we do them for Jesus.  And He will honor us for our faithful service to Him because He sees those actions much differently than other people do.  He sees our hearts, and He knows our purpose, and He understands that we are doing it for Him.

There may be times where we are singled out or ridiculed or questioned for the things we do.  It may be that our service for the Lord seems like a waste to other people.  But we don’t have to worry about any of that.  We just need to keep our focus on Jesus.  He is the reason we do what we do.  When we love Him and desire to serve Him in whatever way we know is right, let us be willing to step forward and do so.  It may not be well-received by those around us, but surely we will please our Lord and Master.