Before you read this entry, I want you to write out your current life- priority list from most important to least important. (Ex. 1. Family 2. cheer 3. school, 4.5.6.7...., etc.) Then read :)
Luke 10:38-42 (New Living Translation)
Jesus Visits Martha and Mary
"As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”But the Lord said to her, “My dear 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.”
Lets face it, it is tough to be a woman of God. From the moment we pop out of the womb, bows are attached to our heads, we are dressed in ruffles, then taught to cook, sew, and have tea. As early as we can remember, the goals and expectations were already set, and to fulfill them is to fulfill our roles as women. But ladies, I am here to break that myth. We were not made to be a cook, or a seamstress; our purpose is not to submit to our husbands, and pop out babies our whole lives, all while maintaining an immaculate home. Make no mistake, I am the biggest domestic nerd there is, and I can not wait to do all those things, for they are hardcore jobs that take rigor, sacrifice, and faith. But ladies, we were not created for a role or called to a position... rather, we were created for the Almighty God! We were created for God, to serve Him, to love Him, to glorify Him, to walk with Him, and to be completely devoted and surrendered with all mind, body, and soul to Him and Him alone. This ladies, is our purpose... Him. We have allowed ourselves to become indebted to the fulfilling of the image of the perfect woman, the prefect wife, the perfect mom, the perfect friend, and just as in this scripture, we are all running around frazzled like Martha trying to fulfill the expectations of our roles. I can just see it... Martha has cleaned her home spotless and planned out everything perfectly for Jesus and His disciples. Her intentions are beautiful because she wants to present the very best to the Lord, and who wouldn't- it is Jesus! Martha, so hospitable, probably showed the disciples and Jesus to the area where they could sit down and rest while she prepared them a meal. As she leaves to work hard to prepare the very best for them, Mary, her sister stays to listen to Jesus' teachings instead of helping her sister Martha. I can hear Martha's thoughts as she sees Mary sitting, doing nothing to help. If she is anything like us in modern day, Martha was probably filled with bitterness, and bickering thoughts- back and forth thinking, "How could she just leave me hanging? She is such a lazy moocher! I can't believe she thinks Ima do all the work and serve her too, shoooooot- sista betta think again." And in the heat of the chaos, Martha's sweetness suddenly turns into straight up sourness, and it is just evident that when Martha waltzed right up to Christ in the middle of everything and everyone as He was teaching, Martha was not just trying to get her sister's help, but to embarrass her sister in front of the Lord and all the disciples. Martha felt betrayed by Mary's lack of consideration, and in turn out of her own pain, Martha subconsciously attempts to impose the same hurt onto her sister by humiliating her by pointing out Mary's insufficiency to fulfill her duty. I can just see Martha infuriated, hurt, and angry as she reports to Christ what Mary is doing in front of everyone, "Lord, doesn't it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me." And from Martha's perspective, it would seem as if Christ would agree with her, then constructively criticize Mary by telling her that the right thing to do is to help her sister, and finally give her a small message about why serving others is good, but that is not at all what came out of Christ's mouth. I believe it is the unpredictability of the response that Christ gave Martha in this passage that was the main reason why Luke wrote this story down, for Luke begins with "But," not And, revealing the shift that is about to occur in what is expected in Jesus' response : "But the Lord said to her, " My dear 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." I can just see Martha's mouth drop wide open, and slowly close shut as she regretfully realizes that she too could have taken a seat and listened to the teachings of her Lord, rather than running away consumed in and distracted by the demands to prepare the front she was about to put on that made her look like she had it all together. Ladies, I want you to ask yourself: Are you so busy doing things FOR Jesus that you are not spending any time WITH Him? Ladies, the enemy of the best is not the bad, the enemy of the best is the good! Our place is not in the kitchen, or the home, or the big corporate office, or the cheer squad, or the A-B honor-roll; our place is at the feet of our God. It always has been, and it always will be. He created us for Himself. Martha tried to please Christ by her ability to serve, and when she couldn't take the heat, she blamed Mary and deemed Mary's efforts inferior. But Martha soon found out, pleasing Christ had nothing to do with her ability, rather it had everything to do with her availability. Mary had it right, she made herself available. She put down everything, even the obligation of fulfilling her role, just to sit near Christ and soak in His presence a while. Mary knew the risk she was taking, and the reactions she could get from the other men disciples in regards to her choice of uncommon actions as a woman, especially in the context of their visit, but did that stop Mary? Absolutely not. In fact, Mary plopped down right beside Christ! What boldness and confidence! What a woman of God! She knew where she belonged... as should we! Thus, may we release our grip from the details of this life, may we put down our aprons, put away our planners, set aside our homework, turn off our cell phones, step away from our computers, and put forth all that we have within us to fight and holdfast to the only one thing worth being concerned about: our God. May He be more than #1, more than our first priority; may He be our everything! As women of God it is our right to allow God to take precedence over everything in our lives and it is our faith that allows us to take advantage of such a beautiful right. God is bigger than all your priorities combined; He's God, thus what makes you think He can fit in your number one slot? He is too big to be a-part in your life, He is too big to be a segment of who you are or what your about, He is too big to be an aspect, a compartment, an area, or a section. He is more than an ingredient hun, He is the whole cake! God is not a-part of you, He is all of you! He only fits as your everything. Therefore, may we let go of all the good so that we can take hold of the best. May God be your ambition and your heart. May He be your biggest goal, and wildest dream. May He be your everything ladies! Sit at His feet.
Challenge: Draw up your new priority list from most important to least important. I want you to move God to the top, and mark out all the others in a different color and write God next to each scratched out one. Tack it to your wall. Now here is the hard part... I want you to figure out through intense prayer which priority of yours gets most in the way of you being close to God, whether it be a boyfriend, an activity like sports or dance, a certain group of friends, etc. and as God shows it to you, by the end of the week I challenge you to cut it out of your life and have it completely dropped. Whatever is preventing you from sitting at His feet is not worth keeping. This is hard, but ladies it is good. No puny sacrifices either. God called me to quit competition cheer my senior year in high school, and it was the biggest step of faith I had ever taken after being a christian for not even a whole year, but I have no regrets! Ladies, is He really your everything? Let it show, sacrifice that block that stands in between Him and you. Have faith, be strong, and strive to sit at His feet. It is your right. Are you willing to take it?
Lets face it, it is tough to be a woman of God. From the moment we pop out of the womb, bows are attached to our heads, we are dressed in ruffles, then taught to cook, sew, and have tea. As early as we can remember, the goals and expectations were already set, and to fulfill them is to fulfill our roles as women. But ladies, I am here to break that myth. We were not made to be a cook, or a seamstress; our purpose is not to submit to our husbands, and pop out babies our whole lives, all while maintaining an immaculate home. Make no mistake, I am the biggest domestic nerd there is, and I can not wait to do all those things, for they are hardcore jobs that take rigor, sacrifice, and faith. But ladies, we were not created for a role or called to a position... rather, we were created for the Almighty God! We were created for God, to serve Him, to love Him, to glorify Him, to walk with Him, and to be completely devoted and surrendered with all mind, body, and soul to Him and Him alone. This ladies, is our purpose... Him. We have allowed ourselves to become indebted to the fulfilling of the image of the perfect woman, the prefect wife, the perfect mom, the perfect friend, and just as in this scripture, we are all running around frazzled like Martha trying to fulfill the expectations of our roles. I can just see it... Martha has cleaned her home spotless and planned out everything perfectly for Jesus and His disciples. Her intentions are beautiful because she wants to present the very best to the Lord, and who wouldn't- it is Jesus! Martha, so hospitable, probably showed the disciples and Jesus to the area where they could sit down and rest while she prepared them a meal. As she leaves to work hard to prepare the very best for them, Mary, her sister stays to listen to Jesus' teachings instead of helping her sister Martha. I can hear Martha's thoughts as she sees Mary sitting, doing nothing to help. If she is anything like us in modern day, Martha was probably filled with bitterness, and bickering thoughts- back and forth thinking, "How could she just leave me hanging? She is such a lazy moocher! I can't believe she thinks Ima do all the work and serve her too, shoooooot- sista betta think again." And in the heat of the chaos, Martha's sweetness suddenly turns into straight up sourness, and it is just evident that when Martha waltzed right up to Christ in the middle of everything and everyone as He was teaching, Martha was not just trying to get her sister's help, but to embarrass her sister in front of the Lord and all the disciples. Martha felt betrayed by Mary's lack of consideration, and in turn out of her own pain, Martha subconsciously attempts to impose the same hurt onto her sister by humiliating her by pointing out Mary's insufficiency to fulfill her duty. I can just see Martha infuriated, hurt, and angry as she reports to Christ what Mary is doing in front of everyone, "Lord, doesn't it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me." And from Martha's perspective, it would seem as if Christ would agree with her, then constructively criticize Mary by telling her that the right thing to do is to help her sister, and finally give her a small message about why serving others is good, but that is not at all what came out of Christ's mouth. I believe it is the unpredictability of the response that Christ gave Martha in this passage that was the main reason why Luke wrote this story down, for Luke begins with "But," not And, revealing the shift that is about to occur in what is expected in Jesus' response : "But the Lord said to her, " My dear 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." I can just see Martha's mouth drop wide open, and slowly close shut as she regretfully realizes that she too could have taken a seat and listened to the teachings of her Lord, rather than running away consumed in and distracted by the demands to prepare the front she was about to put on that made her look like she had it all together. Ladies, I want you to ask yourself: Are you so busy doing things FOR Jesus that you are not spending any time WITH Him? Ladies, the enemy of the best is not the bad, the enemy of the best is the good! Our place is not in the kitchen, or the home, or the big corporate office, or the cheer squad, or the A-B honor-roll; our place is at the feet of our God. It always has been, and it always will be. He created us for Himself. Martha tried to please Christ by her ability to serve, and when she couldn't take the heat, she blamed Mary and deemed Mary's efforts inferior. But Martha soon found out, pleasing Christ had nothing to do with her ability, rather it had everything to do with her availability. Mary had it right, she made herself available. She put down everything, even the obligation of fulfilling her role, just to sit near Christ and soak in His presence a while. Mary knew the risk she was taking, and the reactions she could get from the other men disciples in regards to her choice of uncommon actions as a woman, especially in the context of their visit, but did that stop Mary? Absolutely not. In fact, Mary plopped down right beside Christ! What boldness and confidence! What a woman of God! She knew where she belonged... as should we! Thus, may we release our grip from the details of this life, may we put down our aprons, put away our planners, set aside our homework, turn off our cell phones, step away from our computers, and put forth all that we have within us to fight and holdfast to the only one thing worth being concerned about: our God. May He be more than #1, more than our first priority; may He be our everything! As women of God it is our right to allow God to take precedence over everything in our lives and it is our faith that allows us to take advantage of such a beautiful right. God is bigger than all your priorities combined; He's God, thus what makes you think He can fit in your number one slot? He is too big to be a-part in your life, He is too big to be a segment of who you are or what your about, He is too big to be an aspect, a compartment, an area, or a section. He is more than an ingredient hun, He is the whole cake! God is not a-part of you, He is all of you! He only fits as your everything. Therefore, may we let go of all the good so that we can take hold of the best. May God be your ambition and your heart. May He be your biggest goal, and wildest dream. May He be your everything ladies! Sit at His feet.
Challenge: Draw up your new priority list from most important to least important. I want you to move God to the top, and mark out all the others in a different color and write God next to each scratched out one. Tack it to your wall. Now here is the hard part... I want you to figure out through intense prayer which priority of yours gets most in the way of you being close to God, whether it be a boyfriend, an activity like sports or dance, a certain group of friends, etc. and as God shows it to you, by the end of the week I challenge you to cut it out of your life and have it completely dropped. Whatever is preventing you from sitting at His feet is not worth keeping. This is hard, but ladies it is good. No puny sacrifices either. God called me to quit competition cheer my senior year in high school, and it was the biggest step of faith I had ever taken after being a christian for not even a whole year, but I have no regrets! Ladies, is He really your everything? Let it show, sacrifice that block that stands in between Him and you. Have faith, be strong, and strive to sit at His feet. It is your right. Are you willing to take it?
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