Becoming Mary

 

An astonishing realization hit me this morning.  I am a Martha.  You know her.  Lazarus’ and Mary’s sister.  Unlike Mary, she was too busy to sit at Jesus’ feet and listen. (Luke 10:38-42) I don’t think it was that she didn’t want to listen. She just wanted to listen as she went about her zillion tasks.  She was so busy making sure everything was done according to her schedule that she was missing out on an important opportunity. She was missing out on simply sitting with Jesus, enjoying his presence, listening to his lessons, and drawing strength for the many tasks of the day.

Yep, I’m a Martha!  I often plan the future day (sometimes days) before the current one is expired.  I set goals and schedules and work crazily to get them accomplished.  I am frequently frustrated when things don’t go as planned and goals get off schedule. I feel less than useful when some tasks go undone or have to be pushed off to the next day…or week…or month…or get forgotten all together. The problem with my frenetic pace is that I do a lot of praying on the run, while baking bread, folding laundry, or driving to the grocery store.  I leave myself a very narrow window of time for private personal prayer, Bible reading, and reflection. 

Please do not misunderstand.  Prayer is prayer, no matter where or when you do it.  The Bible says, “Pray without ceasing.” (I Thessalonians 5:17) So, praying while doing your tasks is a great idea.  Likewise, any time you read your Bible, even just one verse, God has the opportunity to impress His words in your heart and teach you something.  So, even if you only have three minutes, be sure to read that one verse.  The point is this, when we hurry and cut short our personal time with God, we miss out on an amazing opportunity—enjoying God’s presence, listening to his lessons, drawing strength for our day.  Jesus summed it up like this, “…Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful…” (Luke 10:41-42 KJV) We desperately need his presence in our lives, his lessons guiding us, and his strength to endure life’s obstacles.  Time with Jesus is what is needful.

So today I am learning to become a Mary.  God asked me what was more important, the tasks or him…I chose him.  The laundry waited, the cleaning waited, the baking waited.  And I had the most phenomenal devotions because I waited before God for his presence to descend.  And it did.  I read things in the book of James that inspired me and bolstered my faith.  The Devil is pretty busy right now trying to disrupt all this, but I’ll just keep obeying James 4:7 and resist him because today I know these things with startling clarity: God loves me more than I can fathom and I love him back more than anything else.  Jesus is not just a guest in my home or life, but a permanent resident who goes with me throughout my day.  When I am weak, discouraged, or forgot that whole “Resist the Devil” concept, God’s got my back.  I am completely, wholeheartedly, unwaveringly God’s child.  Yes, today, I am a Mary.

I hope you didn’t see yourself as you read this.  I hope you are much better at managing your time and schedule than I am.  I hope you are already a Mary.  However, if you identify with Martha and me, there’s no time like the present.  Pull up a chair at his feet, or just crawl up in his lap and drink in the presence of Jesus.  Be blessed by his Spirit.  Learn or relearn a helpful lesson.  Soak in the strength he offers. And always, always remember that one thing is needful to keep your life on track…spending time with Jesus.