We all know the story of Mary and Martha in the Bible. How everybody wants to be like Mary…the
sister who sat at Jesus’ feet and hung onto every word and action. Nobody wants to be a “Martha”. But I have found that I relate better to
Martha. The one who seemed a little high
strung and couldn’t let go of her responsibilities. The one who works and sometimes gets
frustrated and says or thinks, “must be nice to sit around but SOMEONE has to
get things ready!” (Hopefully I’m not
the only one who thinks that at times! lol)
I can’t honestly say that if
I knew Jesus was in town and coming to my house, that I wouldn’t be cleaning
and cooking and trying to make things perfect.
Mary was more of a “feeler”. She
liked to listen and learn and feel Him.
Martha, on the other hand, was a doer.
She liked to make things happen. So
much so that she tried to boss Jesus around and make Him make Mary help. (Now that’s when you KNOW you’re stressed and frustrated, when you start bossing Jesus
around! Lol)
Yes, Martha missed out on
quality time listening and worshiping Him.
But I don’t blame her for spending time preparing things. I think that evening Martha was probably the
last one to eat because she was making sure everything was ready: the tables, the food, the dishes, etc. But maybe when all that was done, everyone
had eaten and it came time for coffee, she relaxed and had her time with Him. Time talking and worshiping.
Neither sister had more or
less faith than the other. If you recall
it wasn’t Mary who ran to Jesus after Lazarus had died, it was Martha. Mary was too heartbroken: she was “feeling”. Martha was heartbroken too, but she wanted
something done about it: she was being
proactive. She didn’t love Him any less
than Mary did, she just showed it different.
I understand the point of
the story was to remind us to put worship at the top of our priority list. But I also understand Martha’s
perception: someone has to do it! Just
like Martha, there have been plenty of times when the Lord has had to gently
remind me to relax and just feel Him.
But also, just like Martha, I love Him and every aspect of my life is
open to Him. So I’m okay with being a
“Martha” right now!
“ When Martha heard that Jesus was coming,
she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.”
John 11:20 NIV
