The Anointing

Note: Rabboni is the Aramaic word for “my master” or “my teacher.” It appears in John 20:16 when Mary meets the risen Christ.

Broken, Rabboni?

The brightness of this alabaster dream

Shattered into fragments at Your feet?

What preciousness deserves so great a price?

This is My body, crushed to give for you.

Emptied, too?

Not one sweet drop remaining for myself?

Bereft of fragrance brightening my days?

What gain can justify such costly waste?

This is My blood, poured out for your forgiveness.

Broken, emptied.

Shattered into fragments at His feet.

Not one drop spared, the fragrance fills the house.

The poverty of all my all is dust

Beneath Your feet, O worthy, precious Lord.

Your sins have been forgiven; go in peace.

That was “The Anointing,” by Christina Moore.

As a bonus, Moose Tracks and I also have a little book review for you today.

Charlie Can’t Sleep Review

In the new picture book Charlie Can’t Sleep: Trusting God When You’re Afraid of the Dark (IVP Kids, 2025),* Rachel Joy Welcher tells a gentle bedtime story about a boy whose worries make sleep scary and difficult for him. After he tries a variety of procrastination tactics, his parents talk with him compassionately about why he doesn’t want to go to sleep. They take his concerns seriously, not scolding or shaming him, and point him to the Lord’s protection as depicted in Psalm 121.

I appreciate the kind and gentle way the parents looked past the reluctance to obey to the possible reasons behind it. Charlie isn’t trying to be naughty, and they see that. It would be easy for tired parents to react in irritation, and these parents rise above that.

Breezy Brookshire’s illustrations in a bright pastel palette are peacefully cheery. They remind me of the book I Love You, Stinkyface and the animated film Monsters, Inc. Bonus points for the evocative illustrations of the family dog :)

All in all, this book provides a gentle reminder to children and their grownups that we can sleep in peace, knowing that God is awake and watching over us. All our worries are safe in His hands.

The concluding author’s note describes the book as well as I possibly could:

“The beautiful truth that God never sleeps, never grows weary, and never leaves us revolutionized my relationship with God, showing me that I could pray to him at any time. And it was because of Psalm 121 that I started praying in the middle of the night.

“This book is a reminder for all of us—children and adults—that we are never alone. God is accessible and near at all times, even when we are overwhelmed with fear, or experiencing the anxiety of life during those quiet, early morning hours, when we wish we could fall back asleep. In this story, Charlie’s realization that God never sleeps teaches us an important truth: that God is everywhere—all at once, at all times—that his love for us is tireless, and that his presence is constant.”

*affiliate link