Blogging...one more thing to do. Mary often chides me for my hectic schedule but what can I do? The demands are great. Perhaps if my young idle sister would step in to help, maybe I could find more time to present my words thusly via this blog. Economy of time. I know...Economy of material...I know. Economy of spirit...never! There is no compromise and God knows my heart.Jesus will come soon for a meal. He drops in periodically for a time of refreshment, renewal and I think, escape. I long for His strength and even an iota of the wisdom he proffers each day to the people.
The people. Oh, the people. Constantly demanding Jesus' attention. The pressure He must feel. But one would never know.
I feel pressure, too. But when I consider what Jesus goes through each day, my pressure pales in comparison. He talks to so many hurting souls. Every moment of the day, it seems, He heals broken bodies, broken lives, broken spirits. If He is not healing, He is sharing prolific words about the Kingdom of God. I know I should take more time, like Mary does. I mean to. I really do. But then my work beckons and before I know it I am up to my ears in the demands of the day. I do hear Jesus speak, though.
"Multi-tasking Martha" they call me. I do love my Lord, but there are days when I long to have the inclination of Mary and toss the guilt aside that I feel if my hands are not busy with a chore. My personality is one that includes fussing and fuming if something is not exactly done to my specifications.
But this day, as I clack out this blog, I am beginning to feel something. I am starting to realize that perhaps I am frittering my days away with good intentions. I need to toss away the tendency for perfection. I must make a better effort to simply be still and know that Jesus is Lord. Maybe it's okay to sit a spell. I know I will always be concerned about the food and the home and the people who grace my four walls. But perhaps it is high time I fuss less over the pomegranates and persimmons and more over the Creator of such and Giver of life.
Oh, I think I hear Jesus knocking. The time has come for me to greet my most welcomed Guest. But first I must straighten the cloth and prepare the bowl so He can wash the dust from His feet. The oven has to be prepared and then the vegetables scrubbed...
I see a pattern happening. I just read "Mary's" blog posting by Ramona, and how I'm delightfully reading your posting from Martha's side of the story.
ReplyDeleteI can relate to both. I love preparing my home for company and I love being still at his feet. For me, I think it's finding His timing and balance for when I should be doing one or the other.
BTW, I'm glad you shared Martha's heart with us, for I believe she loved Him as well as Mary. She just needed to know when enough was enough.
I so enjoyed your posting!!
Thanks, Glynis.
I enjoyed reading this - I am definitely more of a Martha than a Mary so something I have to work on :)
ReplyDeleteGlynis, thanks for helping us consider modern life from Martha's viewpoint. I think there are many Martha's who write, including me :)
ReplyDeleteI must echo what the others have already said re: this post. thanks for the exhortation and encouragement.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the other commenters - great post! An interesting way to get into Martha's head and understand a bit more how she might have viewed the world.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post, Glnyis. I have a good amount of "Martha" in me too, and you have captured who we Marthas are. Jesus loved both Mary and Martha, but in the book I reviewed for my June 10th post, Joanna Weaver says, Jesus "is a Savior who accepts us just the way we are--Mary or Martha or a combination of both--but loves us too much to leave us that way. He is the one who can give us a Mary heart in a Martha world.."
ReplyDeleteThanks for getting Ramona and me going on the Mary/Martha dichotomy where there is always something to learn.