Some Thoughts About Martha and Me

Today is my day off. So I slept in. Whenever I sleep in I feel a little guilty that I've wasted time but since I'm also getting over a bad cold I figured that justified things. I lay staring at the ceiling for a few minutes before convincing myself that I really did need to get up and get things done. After finding some juice I pulled open my Bible and read the next two chapters in my reading plan, then I put the Bible down and started to pray.

My voice was praying out loud "Lord, please forgive me for my sins..." but my mind was thinking; wow, I have a lot of cleaning to do today. My place is a mess! I can't believe I let it get this way. I have to vacuum and dust and there's a pile of dishes to do... And right then and there it was as if God put a spotlight on my soul which made my mouth and mind stop. He put before my mind the example of Mary and Martha.

The story goes something like this. Jesus goes to visit with Mary and Martha (who are sisters) and while He's there Mary is sitting at His feet listening and learning and in general just spending time with Jesus. Martha, on the other hand, is fussing around the kitchen preparing food and other general housekeeping stuff. When we read the story we tend to think better of Mary because she was doing the right thing; giving her time to Jesus, while Martha was thinking too much on earthly things.

But here's the thing God showed me this morning; if I'm going to be hard on Martha I need to take a good look at my own heart and realize that I'm just like her. I don't have any more time to sit at Jesus' feet during my day that she did. Sure, you may say, if Jesus was actually sitting in my messy living room I would put away the vacuum cleaner and make time to sit and listen, but I'm not certain that's true. Jesus is always available for me to spend time with Him and I make very little out of the opportunity.

"But the Lord answered her 'Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things,

but one thing is necessary.

Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.'"

Luke 11:41-42

Perhaps Jesus' words to Martha will hit home for you too. One thing is necessary, and that one thing is a relationship with Jesus. How can we have relationship if there is no time, no space, no room for Jesus in our lives?

The good news is that Jesus wants relationship with you even more than you want relationship with Him and He is always willing, ready, and wanting to take you back. He took me back this morning after I confessed my sin. Two things I know are certain; sinful people will always break relationship with God and God is always ready to forgive those who repent. You can trust Him. He give His life for such a relationship.

Comments

What Is Your Purpose?

A couple weeks ago, a young woman asked me, "what is your purpose?" it kind of threw me off. Ok, it really threw me off. It seemed a bit touché to say "to glorify God and enjoy Him forever" when she was looking for specifics. And I get why she's asking. My life does seem pretty random. Thirty-two years old, working on my BA, teaching music part time, working at a coffee shop part time, and living at least an hour from my closest family member. On paper it looks...well...it looks random. I get it. Kind of hard to pull a purpose out of the randomness. I was talking to the Lord about it because sometimes, even for myself, the person living this life, it's hard to find a specific purpose in the randomness. Sometimes I wonder, when I get to Heaven if I'm going to have anything to offer God, if while other people show up with their kids, I'm going to hold out empty hands and say "it's just me." I mean, if He wants soldiers to defeat spiri...

Body Image (1)

Contentedly situated in lawn chairs with our toes in the sand and the baby playing on a blanket at our feet, my friend and I watch her girls digging holes or running between the beach and the lake. Periodically, the girls run up to us to display the shells and rocks they've found. At one point, as the girls surround us, one of us adults comments on the baby being chubby (which she is, as a baby should be) after which one of the girls looks at me and says, "you're kind of chubby." She wasn't trying to be rude or smart, she was just being bluntly observant as children are. As I looked at I her and considered an answer, I thought of the baggage of body image that women have carried for generations, and I thought, I don't want her to carry this baggage too. I want better for her. I replied, "you know, being a little chubby is actually a good thing. Our bodies function better and it helps keep us warm." This deep lesson was probably lost on her as she s...

Two Worlds, One Family

After reading that title, are you singing the Phil Collins song from Tarzan? I was. In my head. During prayer meeting. The theme for prayer that evening was the 3rd commandment; you shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain . We bowed our heads and began praying around the circle. My dear friend sat beside me and prayed for her children and the children of our church. She prayed that they would never a know a day not loving the name of the Lord, that they would cling to Him and honour Him all the days of their lives. I went next. I prayed for my coworkers, so many of them living far, far from God, so many enslaved to sin. I prayed that they would know Jesus, honestly ask Him to forgive them, and then live the rest of their lives loving His name and bringing that Name glory. The same desire spurred our prayers, but the places we dwell in had a huge effect on how we prayed. And that's when that song from my childhood came to mind. The truth is that we are one family, my f...

by jot and tittle

Search This Blog