Towards the beginning of this Lenten journey, we met two sisters, Leah and Rachel. Remember them? Today we are joined by their modern version, Martha and Mary.
Martha and Mary were the sisters of Lazarus and they were friends of Jesus. There is a really good book written about them that if you have not read it, I suggest that you run to the store to buy it for yourself as an Easter gift. "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World" by Joanna Weaver is the last book I will recommend on this journey and I guarantee it will become one of your favorite books.
Jesus and his disciples arrived at the sisters' home. Martha is running around like a good hostess trying to serve them. Mary, on the other hand, sits at the feet of Jesus to listen to His Word. This makes Martha upset. Why should she be doing all the work while her lazy sister does nothing? She complains to Jesus but His response was not what she expected. He must have startled her.
In a world filled with unending tasks, we can learn a lot from this story. Most of us can relate to Martha. Martha's outlook on life was quite different than Mary's. Martha was practical, organized and efficient. She managed her house like an army general manages his soldiers. Being practical and efficient is good as long as it doesn't interfere with the more important things in life.
If we look at Mary from a worldly view, we could say that Mary was a bit lazy. She didn't care that her sister was running around doing everything that needed to be done to be hospitable. She simply sat at Jesus' feet to enjoy His presence. But if we look at it from Jesus' point of view, who was more concerned about serving the Savior, Martha or Mary? Mary chose listening to Jesus while Martha chose to prepare Him a meal. Jesus said that Mary chose the "better part."
Every day we also have a choice. We live in a world where time is precious. We have to be busy all the time. Finding time to sit at Jesus' feet is practically impossible. And if we spend too much time with Him, we may be accused of being lazy. I can only find time to be like Mary either very late at night or very early in the morning. It's 5:45 am and while the rest of the house is still asleep, I'm typing away meditating on this obstacle called "time." We have to make time for God. We cannot allow our worldly duties to consume us. If you have been running around ragged during this Lent and have not made time to sit at Jesus' feet, as we begin the Triddum, the three holiest days of our faith, I invite you to stop doing and to start enjoying. Sit at His feet and let His love and wisdom surround you.
Most of the times, we are "Martha's." During the next three days, let's find time to be "Mary's." Let's enjoy the "better part."
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