While reading the gospel this morning, I felt the Lord speak directly to my heart. I wanted to share my favorite moments from today's Word:
Luke 10: 38-42
“Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what He was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.’ But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worrying and distracted by many things: there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.’”
“Jesus entered a certain village.”
This verse alone stands out to me. Jesus did not come to this village by accident, but rather on a purposeful mission to lovingly teach Martha about herself and about who she was to Him. I can’t help but think of Him coming to our “village” daily with a meaningful mission. To teach us, to help us, to love us. He does all of this on purpose, for a purpose.
“But Martha was distracted by many things”
I am a total Martha! One of my biggest temptations is placing productivity over being present. I can come up with many excuses for why each task on my “to do” cannot be taken off the list. In reality though, none of it matters as much as relationship with Christ. Some of you reading this may know that I have been suffering with anxiety, depression and panic attacks for over a year now. This past month I totally broke down (again) and found myself very angry with God. Out of a desperate desire to heal myself, I had been fighting God for control over my life. I was not winning the fight by the way! It took me coming to the complete end of myself to realize that I needed Jesus more than myself, to get through this. I'm so thankful He met me there.
I suffer with self-reliance. I say suffer because that is what comes from us not placing God where He needs to be in our lives, we suffer. I was using tasks to distract myself instead of resting in Him. Honestly, I was afraid to rest, to pause, to be still. Every time I tried, I would feel the stress well up in my body and I would get busy again. By grace alone, I have persevered, and am just now starting to see the fruit of this stillness. I had been so busy doing things, I had forgotten how to just “be.” I am so grateful for this reading about Martha. I saw so much of myself in her business, her neglect for prayer, her stress, her complaining. There is such a correlation between "distraction of things" and detachment from God in my life. I'm thankful for the reminder from the Gospel to put down the tasks, and abide in Him more.
“So she came to him and asked,”
Ok, Martha may have her faults but she is a wise woman! She was upset and what did she do? She came to Jesus and talked with Him. That is what prayer is about! I have also struggled with doing this simple act lately. I get so wrapped up in my problem and trying to force solutions, that I forget to pray about it. I forget to bring it to Christ, the One who can bring solutions and healing in my life. I love that Martha knew the value of prayer. She was upset that her sister wasn’t helping her at all, that her sister didn’t value the to-do list, and that she was left with the majority of the work, so she related this to Christ. She didn’t hold back her frustrations toward her sister or toward the Lord in this honest prayer. How inspiring. Wouldn’t it be so powerful if we prayed about our problems like this? If we told Jesus all the real feelings we had about our deepest pains and problems in our lives? This is what He wants. This is intimacy, and He is a God who seeks relationship with us.
“Martha, Martha”
My very favorite part. Jesus calls her by name! After reading the Gospel today I was meditating on this verse in particular. I was so curious about why Jesus chose to call Martha by name twice. Wouldn’t one time by enough to properly address her? I believe He did this because He craved her attention. Not only was He trying to speak to her, He was trying to connect with her. Aaron and I went on a date to adoration last Friday. While I was praying I could not stop thinking of my own name. It was like a broken record in my head, “Hannah, Hannah Hannah.” I was confused by this at first. I don’t consider myself to have an ego so large that I would repeat my own name over and over to myself, especially not during prayer with God! But of course, it wasn’t me repeating my own name, it was Christ. Like Martha, He wants my attention. He seeks yours too.
"Mary sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what He was saying"
I love this verse for two main reasons. One, it reminds us of a good posture of prayer. The enemy wants us to believe that posture doesn't matter when we pray, but God teaches us that what we do with our bodies effects our soul. Mary knew to be at rest while she was in Jesus' presence. The second reason I love this verse is how Mary teaches us to listen. She listened to what "He was saying." We live in a loud world. It is so easy to hear the voice of the world over the Lord. And it is also easy to hear the voice of the enemy over Jesus. Mary knew to listen to the Lord, who speaks truth. This was the voice she wanted speaking into her life. This was the voice she fixed her ears on. Mary shows us with such simplicity how to remain close to Christ
"Mary has chosen the better part"
When I first read this verse, I felt a little offended for Martha. Why would Jesus devalue her housework? Is he really comparing these sisters and finding favor with the one who didn't help at all? Does he not see Martha in her hard work? These were my initial (humanly) questions. After sitting with it for a bit, I saw it more clearly. No, Jesus doesn't devalue Martha's housework at all, He just values her more than her work. He values who Martha is more than what she gets done. He reminded her that the "better part" will always be keeping close to Christ, spending time with Him, and listening to Him. I am relieved reading this! As I write this I am reminded that Jesus wants me to be present over productive. Present with my family and with Him. I'm so thankful He calls us close. I hope this Gospel encourages you as it encouraged me!