You know the story about Mary and Martha (beginning Luke 10:38) - the one where Mary is sitting at Jesus' feet while Martha is running around doing all the work to take care of everyone? I hadn't noticed before - I thought it was a home they both shared - and perhaps Mary stayed there too, but it was Martha's home! And Martha was very responsible and wanted her home to be a place of comfort and nourishment! She wanted to nurture Jesus in her home, even though she knew there were many who would follow him there. Perhaps she enjoyed having people over - serving them a delicious meal! She had the gift of hospitality and her home was a haven for Jesus! Nothing wrong with any of that, right?!! She was a wonderful, warm, giving person.
And then there was Mary. Perhaps the younger of the two sisters, and not quite so responsible, and it appears she had had quite a wayward life to this point. And here she is, not being helpful, which Martha is pretty annoyed about. Probably justified in our eyes! Martha seems to be trying to look after her, despite her errant ways, and it would have been nice if Mary could have helped her out a bit more in this stressful time for her - right?!! We often judge Martha a bit harshly, but honestly, I think she had a valid reason to be upset with her sister!
What she did not see, in her need to take care of the details, was that Mary was drinking in something that she desperately needed! Something that would change the course of her life forever, and would get her firmly on the right path! Save her life even! Instead, Martha saw the unreliable sister she was used to having to deal with. And Jesus needed to gently open her eyes to what was happening before her.
If we look fairly at the story - see with non-judgemental, but understanding eyes, the way Jesus did, we see two beautiful girls, each lost in their own way, but both hungry to be with him. And what I see, is that each of them is a representation of me!
I have a rental inspection coming up. I came out to be with Jesus, but struggled to keep my mind focused! I kept noticing and thinking of, things I needed to get working on! And into my mind, popped this story. Somehow, even in my busy distractedness, because he knew I was trying to connect, God found a way to still teach me. And I love that he does that. He finds a way through. And I'm so glad. I need his peace and positivity with me today. ❤️
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