Martha, Martha...

I want to be a Martha...

Now hold on, I know what you're thinking! Let me finish.

I want to be a Martha who has been lovingly reprimanded by the Savior.

She is not the same woman she was before! She now seeks the joy she was lacking before Yeshua spoke those sweet, painful, truthful words; "Martha, Martha! You are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:41-42)
The story doesn't end here!

He knows she loves Him, but that in her rush to serve Him with the best she has to offer, she has lost the true meaning behind His definition of the word servant... sacrifice. Yet, when He looks at her, she knows He does not ask her to stop her work; only to be aware of what is most important about her work.

She is feeding a roomful of people who desperately want to soak in everything He has to say, knowing that there may be a time He will not be with them. Her error is not in overseeing the meal, or preparing the guest rooms for the numerous people that will be staying with them because of the presence of the Master; her only error is in demanding the help of her sister, who has chosen to join the dinner and listen with rapt attention. Certainly the absence of Mary in the kitchen cannot have made such a difference in the presentation of the meal; but I can see Martha's heart in my own.

"Why should I do all the work? She's just sitting there! She's as much a part of this household as I am - how dare she leave it all to me!" But Martha loves her position in her household as much as I love mine! Does it make that much difference? No. And there's the rub.

She slips into a corner of the hallway and dashes tears from her eyes. The words are piercing, and angering, and truthful. Deep breath.

Shall I stop what I'm doing and join the group in the dining room? No. I will finish preparing and serving the meal. But I will do it with a servant's heart this time. And when I enter the room to serve the Master, I will listen to His words and smile at my sister, and soak in what I can. I will use my position as the overseer of this household to make this time with His friends peaceful, and good. And instead of seeing my position and the resulting work as my due, I will find joy in my days, instead of obligation.

How do I know that the story doesn't end with verse forty-two? Because Martha goes on to give one of the most complete definitions of who Jesus is and Who sent Him in the book of John; ""Lord," she told Him, "I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God."" (John 11:27)

She no longer finds herself so wrapped up in what she does that she cannot see what is important. She knows.

Oh, He speaks to me in these passages - I don't stop! I fret over needless things. I throw my hands in the air in amazement at how busy I am, yet I don't take a good look at what my busy-ness is costing me. My joy. He has given me the sweet role of mama, wife, caretaker. There will be moments where I fail in my duties. But He needs me to do what I do - and He needs me to do it with a servant's heart. To make things better for others. To make things easier for them, welcoming for them, comforting to them. To be His hands.

We need Martha's. Without them, there might not be a meal to laugh and discuss over. Without them, there might not be inviting guest rooms to relax in on our journeys. Without them, the household wouldn't flow as smoothly.

Are you a Martha?

So am I.

Praise God. Let's find our joy.