I am practical. I am a planner. I like strategy. I’m not fond of surprises. When things come up I go straight to fixing the problems. Once the problem is dealt with I’m usually annoyed that I hadn’t spotted those problems before hand. When challenges come up in my world, I lean in, I power up. I am a fixer.

I’m married to someone who is the opposite of these things!

She is intuitive. She is a feeler. She likes spontaneity. She likes to wait and see. Problems don’t seem to knock her in the same way, and she gives herself grace when they come up. Her response to challenge is to pray. When she watches me spin she always encourages me to stop, pray and remember what God has spoken.

Honestly at times I find that frustrating (sorry!)

I often think that she isn’t worried enough, that she’s not working on solutions like I am, not taking it seriously enough. I think “if only she was like me we’d have this sorted”

You all know what I’m going to say next right?

Yeah I know…….she’s got it right.

I’m the one that needs to shift. I’m the one who needs to learn. Not that my personality is bad, it’s just when it comes to following Jesus she has this stuff sorted way more than me.

If you’ve read the Bible for any length of time you know what story from the Scriptures I’m about to link to. It’s a story where Jesus comes to a family’s house.

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42

I understand Martha.

I am Martha.

Martha seems like the responsible one. She seems to own the home, she opens it up to Jesus meaning that she was likely the one who invited Him. She wants to show good hospitality to Jesus, a strong middle eastern custom, and she was hoping her sister would help her out a bit.

Instead Mary is chilling with Jesus.

I can imagine the thoughts swirling around Marthas head. As she is running around sweating making sure everything is set, she sees Mary just sitting. She imagines that Mary will be out to help her in a minute but she never appears. Finally she can’t hold it in any longer and comes to Jesus to see if He could sort it. I’m not sure why she doesn’t go straight to Mary, perhaps this was a normal custom. Either way she asks Him to sort it.

His response was not towards Mary but Martha.

He doesn’t correct Mary’s behaviour but instead speaks to Martha’s heart posture.

Jesus begins to address her need to stop worrying and getting upset. Being a Martha I understand this advice from Jesus. I have this picture of Martha looking flustered, red faced, and fidgety with Jesus – much like how l look when I’m hosting something or running an event in our building. She’s most likely not at peace, not listening, and not loving people very well (I’m inserting my own very personal emotions here).

I don’t believe for a second that Jesus is saying that hospitality doesn’t matter, or that it is wrong to work and do tasks around our home. what He is saying is that it isn’t good to be filled with worry and stress around these things and miss who is there the whole time.

That is what I need to hear.

Too often, just like Martha, I allow the process or the event to become more important than the people I created the processes or events for. Sometimes I am so focused on the ‘thing’ happening that I forget to even enjoy it when the ‘thing’ happens. Worry and stress rob me of enjoying the very thing that is most important to me. Structure and process are important of course, but they are not God, they are not my relationship with Jesus.

I need to stop allowing my inner Martha to run the show, and allow my Mary to come out! I must learn to sit at His feet regardless of what might be going on around me. I am however grateful knows this about me, and He is gracious with me in the same way He was with Martha. I don’t need to be worried or upset about that either!