Luke 10:38-42
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village
where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s
feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to
be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister
has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord
answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary
has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
-ever have something unexpected happen? 13 people just show
up- for a meal, for the bathroom, for refreshment…. That would make me freak
out!! (before Hank’s diagnosis, before COVID, before cancer)… is the house
ready? Do I have enough? Does somebody need to make an Aldi run?
Like there’s no cell phones- no text messages “hey what’s
up? You home? Mind if we come by? I’ve got my boys with me and we are all
hungry!” there’s no door dash. No microwaves. No pizza delivery…. So…
Verse 40: But Martha was distracted by all the preparations
that had to be made”.
- 13 guys show up – Paul was probably whining about being
hungry- “you’re out of toilet paper, Martha!” “I don’t like the Walmart brand,
Martha!” “Do you have any napkins, Martha?”
If you have ever hosted a party, you know there are hundreds
of things that need to be done before people get there… and then the hosting
duties…
Poor Martha gets such a bad rap… the verbiage that gets used
depending on the translation of the Bible and the interpretation of the person
who has preached this sermon in the past, gets down on Martha… “see? She’s in
the kitchen working and Mary’s at Jesus’ feet, listening to the Savior (who was
not the Savior at that point)… we should be more like Mary…” And I don’t disagree… yes, we should be more
like Mary and sit at Jesus’ feet.
But I say, what about the work that has to be done? (that’s
my point of view) the lunches that have to be made? The clothes laid out? The toilets
scrubbed? I’m being compared to Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet and there’s a 1000
things to do! And my mind gets all
spaghetti, darting from this to that and down rabbit holes until I’m over
stimulated and over whelmed… and then I start yelling and saying things I shouldn’t
say.
(a tip: if you see a young momma overwhelmed or a person who
is going through a crisis, anything you do to let him or her know that you are
thinking of them is the right thing to do: if you can afford a gift card to a restaurant,
a gift basket with snacks, or just a simple text massage with a prayer… you cannot
go wrong)
Martha’s lesson for me post active cancer treatment and while I’m in whatever stage of treatment this is called that I’m in: sometimes you can’t stop the work… but you can find time in your day and your week to connect with the Lord… don’t let the enemy distract you and keep you wound up that you miss the Lord’s presence in your day, in your work, in your home.
Resting in your spirit may mean carving out time during the
day and week to rest (doing something that you enjoy like a hobby or adventure)…
because sometimes the work does not stop… especially if you are a care giver…
Other lessons:
-you are not alone
-you don’t have to be “perfect” by the world’s standards-
not everything is an Instagram post
-you don’t have to over work to be worthy
-you need to make time to rest (especially if you are a
caregiver [young or old])
-you don’t have to over extend yourself
-Jesus was saying: I want more than your work… I want more
than your actions…. I want you… I want to spend time with you…
(Isn’t it interesting how you read something at different stages of your life and you see a different side? It speaks to you differently?)
