Martha, Martha

Imagine, with me, a moment when you hear a knock at the door.  You arise to answer the door to find Jesus standing there.  Excitedly, you invite Him in, just as Martha did long ago.

You are so excited you can hardly contain yourself; your mind is racing, thinking, “How could this be happening?  This is the cry of my heart!  To sit at the feet of my Lord!  I can’t wait to hear what He has to say!  Oh my, to be in His presence!”

But then, the reality hits you. The house is in disarray, and there’s no food prepared. The excitement gives way to a sinking feeling of disappointment.

Now while they were on their way, Jesus entered a village, called Bethany, and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.  She had a sister named Mary, who seated herself at the Lord’s feet and was continually listening to His teaching. But Martha was very busy and distracted with all of her serving responsibilities; and she approached Him and said, “Lord, is it of no concern to You that my sister has left me to do the serving alone? Tell her to help me and do her part.” But the Lord replied to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered and anxious about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, that which is to her advantage, which will not be taken away from her.”  Luke 10:38-42

We all know the story of Martha and Mary. Mary sat at the feet of Jesus while Martha was busy with life’s responsibilities. Many of us long to be like Mary, to sit at the feet of our Lord. Yet, more often than I would like, I find I have more of Martha in me than I’d like.

I love to spend time with God—times of refreshing come from the presence of the Lord. (Acts 3:19) His presence is the source of my strength and peace. Yet, while my heart longs to sit at my Lord’s feet, life’s responsibilities distract me.

Frequently, when I set aside quiet time with God, my mind begins to race.  As I sit down and grab my Bible, I think, “I should put in a load of laundry first.”

My thought was that the laundry could run while I was spending time with God, so I started the laundry.

Then, I see a few dishes that need to be cleared. Tidiness matters to me, so I put up the dishes.  Once I give in to distractions, my mind is off God and on what needs to be done before I can spend time with God. When this happens, I rarely complete my quiet time with God.

Perhaps it’s not laundry or dishes. Maybe the phone rings and gets our attention.  Or someone knocks at the door.  Many things can cause distraction.  Many things distract our minds and hearts from this much-needed time with Jesus.

As I meditated further on this passage of scripture, something caught my eye. Martha welcomed Jesus into their home. She initiated the visit.   Yet, as soon as He was in the door, she was busy preparing, cooking, and serving. While responsibilities distracted Martha, she missed the most important thing—an opportunity of a lifetime. Nothing was wrong or sinful about what she was doing, but it wasn’t the right time. Just as there is nothing wrong with me doing laundry or tidying my house – BUT – when it is time to sit at my Lord’s feet – that is not the right time for cleaning.

Jesus said only one thing was needed.

In your intimate times with Jesus, only one thing is needed.  He doesn’t care if your laundry is not done. It will be there later.  He doesn’t mind if you have a few dishes in the sink. They will wait for you.  He doesn’t mind if you allow the kids to sleep for an extra thirty minutes. There is simply one thing He desires — you, all of you.

Jesus said, “One thing will last. One thing will remain. The food will be gone, and the clean house will get dirty again, but one thing will last forever, and that is the time we spend at Jesus’ feet. Only one thing will remain.”

God knows me.  He knows I struggle with being a Martha.  As a loving Father, He has a gentle way of correcting.  Lately, when I begin my quiet time with God, if my mental to-do list draws me away, He quietly speaks to me with the words, “Martha, Martha.”

That gets my attention. I don’t want to be a Martha. I want to be a Mary. I have found the quicker I heed this correction, the more time I have at His feet.  Consequently, more time at His feet means more of Him in my life. It means more of His peace and more of His power.

As I studied this story, I became curious about Martha’s name. I looked up the meaning of her name in the Strong’s Concordance and found that it means “she was rebellious.”  Ouch!

Paul says in Romans 7:19, “I know what I should be doing, but my flesh wants to do something else.”  I know exactly how he felt.  My spirit wants to spend time with God, yet my flesh constantly recites my things-to-do list. Does that happen to you?

Thank God we have the power to choose. The Bible teaches us that everything in life is a choice.  We must remember to “Choose life.”

How do we do that? By laying aside everything that hinders us from spending time with God. It is, after all, the only thing that will remain for eternity.  It is the one thing that won’t be taken from us.  Today, may we remember to silence the Martha in us and sit at His feet. It will be time well spent.