Honoring Megan’s life. All Glory unto Jesus.

By Danielle Popovici, Sister of Megan Criniere

There is a story in the Bible, found in the book of John, chapter 12. The story tells us that Jesus was the prized guest at a special dinner. As he was reclining and interacting with the group of people he was with, a woman named Mary came in and took an expensive bottle of ointment used for perfume called nard and cracked it open, and poured it over Jesus’ feet. Nard was known to be extremely expensive, and this particular bottle was said to be worth close to a year’s wages, but as this woman gladly poured this bottle out on the feet of Jesus, she wept with tears of surrender, devotion, and love. She, unlike those around her, knew that this bottle of nard wasn’t worth anything compared to this man Jesus. She knew that His value was far greater than anything she could ever earn or own. In verse 3 of this chapter, it says, “The house was filled with the fragrance of this perfume” Everyone nearby encountered this act of Mary, they smelled the residue of her pouring out her most valuable earthy possession in order to anoint the feet of Jesus in an act of devotion and worship.

Now keep this picture in your mind as I take a minute to honor my sister Megan. My sister decided to follow Jesus at a young age, and through many bumps and turns in the road, she chose a few different paths for a little while, only to find that at the end of those roads, she was empty and lost and in need of a Savior. Around the age of eighteen years old, she came back to Jesus, but this time with a devotion and a love that knew and understood that she had been “forgiven much.”

As my sister grew in life, Jesus remained at the center of who she was and what she would do with her affections, her time, and her resources. She wasn’t interested in being something great for a "pat on the back" or for earthly recognition, she was interested in the praise of only One. Megan and Charlie both built their lives on this kind of value system. Living humble, quiet lives, faithful to the Lord in every step taken, taking life’s disappointments to Jesus, walking through life’s hardships with Jesus, and trying to their best ability to give their all to Him. Megan has a quiet confidence, a steady, unwavering spirit that is anchored in Christ and in Him alone. It’s been formed, molded, and crafted in her since she was a child. My sister’s life has always been a beautiful expression of worship.

August 27th, her life on this earth was altered in a painful and unexpected way. How could this happen? We were just with Charlie a few weeks before this accident, and now he is no longer with us. What will my sister do? How can I go back to my life, knowing my sister has to now walk out this situation? Questions flooded my heart as I accepted this shocking news. The next morning, Sunday, August 28th, my sister woke up, we prepared breakfast, and then she called everyone down to the living room in order to give our time and our worship to Jesus.

She sat everyone in a circle, turned on some music, raised her hands in broken surrender, and poured her affections out at the feet of Jesus. She declared her trust in His leadership and in His ways. She affirmed His goodness and His kindness towards them as His children, and she gave Jesus her fresh and wholehearted “yes” to follow His lead. As I worshiped and watched my sister, all I could think of was Mary of Bethany in John 12. She was pouring out her most treasured earthy thing, her marriage to Charlie. She was laying it at his beautiful and most worthy feet, and just as it says in John 12:4, “the house was filled with the fragrance of this perfume.”

The beautiful thing about a life built on Christ is that when the storms of life come, He remains, and He keeps us anchored. In the most impossible of situations, if we trust Him, His glory and His worth shines brightly to all those who have eyes to see. And since Megan and Charlie have built their lives for the past 19/20 years on Christ, Megan’s response to a life-altering reality was consistent and confident with who God has made her to be. She is unwavering, she is confident, she is quiet, she is strong, and she is secure because she understands the value of what she has in Christ Jesus. Although she has suffered loss in this life, she has always lived for the next life, so she continues to follow His perfect leadership and pour out her wholehearted devotion and love, just like Mary of Bethany.

- Danielle