The story of Mary and Martha is a classic tale of differing personality styles and priorities. I\u2019ve sat in many rooms where Christians compared themselves to one character or another: either the great hostess throwing together a last-minute cheese board or the skilled listener who knows how to sit with people in their joy or pain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA woman named Martha welcomed him into her home,\u201d goes the story in the Gospel of Luke. \u201cShe had a sister named Mary, who also sat at the Lord\u2019s feet and was listening to what he said\u201d (Luke 10:38\u201339). Immediately, I picture both my stepmother-in-law and my good friend whose ways of relating to others couldn\u2019t be more different. One won\u2019t sit down long enough to have a conversation, and the other is perfectly comfortable spending hours on the couch engrossed in story-telling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yet the lesson Jesus has for us here transcends gender and even personality stereotypes. Instead, it focuses on the gift of presence. He wants to know and spend time with each of us individually and intimately and wants us to know Him too. He yearns for hearts that aren\u2019t so distracted by things that easily draw our attention away from Him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Martha\u2019s tasks weren\u2019t unimportant, of course. It was her \u201cworried and upset\u201d spirit the Lord wanted to free her from (v.41). We see this anxiety rise again when Martha asks Jesus about her brother, claiming that if He had been there, Lazarus wouldn\u2019t have died (John 11:21). It sounds harsh, yet her statement also illustrates her faith. And Jesus knew this\u2014He always sees clearly through the shadow of our fears, insecurities, and disappointments to what our hearts truly need. As usual, His response came from a non-anxious presence. Before the miracle of her brother\u2019s resurrection, Jesus turned Martha\u2019s gaze to Him and toward trust in His power. I can\u2019t imagine it was an easy thing to do at that moment, but the intimacy in their relationship showed her how worthy of trust Jesus is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I think it\u2019s normal for us to project ourselves into the story of Mary and Martha, wondering what we would do if he stopped by our home. But maybe there\u2019s an even better question\u2014instead of asking \u201cAm I like Martha or Mary?\u201d perhaps Jesus is inviting us to ask \u201cHow can I trust in God today?\u201d No matter what, His non-anxious presence inspires us to be still and truly see His love all around us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The story of Mary and Martha is a classic tale of differing personality styles and priorities. I\u2019ve sat in many rooms where Christians compared themselves to one character or another: either the great hostess throwing together a last-minute cheese board or the skilled listener who knows how to sit with people in their joy or […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":72346,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[302],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-72524","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pitnt"],"acf":{"hero_background_image":false,"related_plans":[72485],"weekly_truth":false,"grace_day":false,"share_text":"#SheReadsTruth","devotional_text":"MARTHA AND MARY<\/b>
\r\nby Bailey Gillespie<\/i>
\r\n
The story of Mary and Martha is a classic tale of differing personality styles and priorities. I\u2019ve sat in many rooms where Christians compared themselves to one character or another: either the great hostess throwing together a last-minute cheese board or the skilled listener who knows how to sit with people in their joy or pain.<\/p>
\r\n
\u201cA woman named Martha welcomed him into her home,\u201d goes the story in the Gospel of Luke. \u201cShe had a sister named Mary, who also sat at the Lord\u2019s feet and was listening to what he said\u201d (Luke 10:38\u201339). Immediately, I picture both my stepmother-in-law and my good friend whose ways of relating to others couldn\u2019t be more different. One won\u2019t sit down long enough to have a conversation, and the other is perfectly comfortable spending hours on the couch engrossed in story-telling.<\/p>
\r\n
Yet the lesson Jesus has for us here transcends gender and even personality stereotypes. Instead, it focuses on the gift of presence. He wants to know and spend time with each of us individually and intimately and wants us to know Him too. He yearns for hearts that aren\u2019t so distracted by things that easily draw our attention away from Him.<\/p>
\r\n
Martha\u2019s tasks weren\u2019t unimportant, of course. It was her \u201cworried and upset\u201d spirit the Lord wanted to free her from (v.41). We see this anxiety rise again when Martha asks Jesus about her brother, claiming that if He had been there, Lazarus wouldn\u2019t have died (John 11:21). It sounds harsh, yet her statement also illustrates her faith. And Jesus knew this\u2014He always sees clearly through the shadow of our fears, insecurities, and disappointments to what our hearts truly need. As usual, His response came from a non-anxious presence. Before the miracle of her brother\u2019s resurrection, Jesus turned Martha\u2019s gaze to Him and toward trust in His power. I can\u2019t imagine it was an easy thing to do at that moment, but the intimacy in their relationship showed her how worthy of trust Jesus is.<\/p>
\r\n
I think it\u2019s normal for us to project ourselves into the story of Mary and Martha, wondering what we would do if he stopped by our home. But maybe there\u2019s an even better question\u2014instead of asking \u201cAm I like Martha or Mary?\u201d perhaps Jesus is inviting us to ask \u201cHow can I trust in God today?\u201d No matter what, His non-anxious presence inspires us to be still and truly see His love all around us.<\/p>
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