The Day and The Life of a Martha

I am a Martha?  It's true, to the very core, I have the heart of Martha.  What does this mean?  What does the Bible say about Martha?  Does the Bible say Christ loved Mary more than Martha?  The Bible does give the impression that Christ "almost" scolds Martha for working... working... working and not sitting, drinking coffee, and listening to the heart of Christ.

Luke 10:38-42 "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 only one thing is needed.  Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

These 5 verses are a mouthful that come straight from the Father.  Here I sit on my front porch, baby is sleeping, and kids are at school.  I'm sitting here with my coffee, my Bible, and the music of nature.  The birds singing more beautifully than I have ever heard.  What did it take to get here, to this quiet spot, where I sit, and seek God?  ALOT!  My work never ends.  I have four children, a husband, many people and things vying for my time and attention.  My thought process as I attempted to seek solitude on my front porch, with my Bible, was quite rigid.  In an effort to retrieve my Bible I became side tracked many times.  For example, my Bible sits on a shelf in the kitchen.  I walk from the living room to the kitchen and see the laundry room.  I stop and take care of the laundry.  I head back into the kitchen to get my Bible, I see shoes and take them back to the bedroom.  In the bedroom I see the bed is unmade.  I make the bed.  I head back into the kitchen and see crumbs on the counter.  I wipe the crumbs.  I then notice the sink is a mess.  I get the scrubber and scrub the sink.  All the while I am thinking, "I gotta get my Bible".  And this continues... throughout my day!  I continued to work... work... work.  God gently said to me, "Crystal, you can make the bed later.  Come, have coffee with me?  Your baby is asleep, make the best of your time alone.  Join me on the porch, I have much to talk with you about.  Please come!"  Finally, I made a mental effort, "yes it was an effort" to stop.  Walking past many things screaming for my attention, I pour a cup of java, grab my Bible, and head to the porch.  The blessings are astounding!

I will be the first to admit, that I struggle with over working, and not paying enough attention to God, my husband, my kids, family members, and friends.  On this note, I feel it's time to give a shout out for the Martha's in this world.  Please note Luke 10:38 "As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him."  What did Martha do?  She opened her home to Christ.  Martha showed a heart of hospitality to the Father. Why do we work?  I work because I love my family!   I desire the best for them.  I want them to have a clean and comfortable home.  I want guests to enjoy themselves and feel comfortable when visiting.  Do I put this desire, over the priority of spending time with those I love?  Often, I do!  "Marthas', God loves you!  He made you a worker.  However, he longs to spend time with you, and your husband and children long for attention.  Always, make relationship your primary priority, over our urge to work... work... work."

As a Martha, I feel I need to share a huge pet peeve of mine.  In my life, I have observed many lazy people, claiming they are better because they don't over work, and they spend quality time with others.  Be careful!  Proverbs 31 is quite explicit about what it means to be a Godly woman.  Sitting around watching everyone else work, is not mentioned in any way, in the entire chapter.  However, work... work... work... is mentioned quite often.  She arises early, and works late into the night.  If we read Luke we can notice clearly that Mary is speaking to Christ.  "Christ" demands our utmost attention.  Not the telephone, newspaper, friends, family members, or even our husbands.  There is a time for work and a time for play.  I have observed many Mary's at women's events, whom leave right away, or sit to the side talking, and not lifting a finger to help with clean up.  I'm not sure this is Godly behavior.  Christ ensures us throughout His word, that we are to be servants and show hospitality.

Unfortunately the Lord, doesn't expound on this story.  We don't know any previous history.  Was Mary typically lazy and unhelpful?  Sounds to me like Martha may have been a tattle tail.  Did Mary leave Martha to accomplish most of the work alone, on a regular basis.  Does she have pent up anger over years of helplessness?  These are questions we don't have the answers to.  We do know that in this particular time frame, Mary was obeying and listening to the heart of God.  We also know that Martha wasn't exactly working with a heart of hospitality.  She was angered with her sister.  She tattled to Christ, like he wasn't already aware of the situation.  We can't throw stones at Martha for this behavior.  We all run to Christ to tattle.  Don't we?  We tattle on our husbands, our kids, our friends, and our churches.  The list is quite extensive.  Tattling isn't wrong or sinful when taken to God, unless we REFUSE to hear the heart of God.  We must listen and obey Him.  He longs to teach us wisdom, and the answers to a happy and fulfilling life.

In conclusion we women of God, must find a happy balance.  Most importantly, we need to listen for God's heeding.  Go when he says go, and stop when he says stop!

In short...

Mary:  Keep seeking the heart of Christ.  His wisdom will guide you all the days of your life.  Remember, to look around you, and offer to help.  By helping we love God's people.  We reveal the nature of our hearts, as hearts dedicated to pleasing and loving the Father.

Martha:  In all your work... work... work, be sure your heart is in the right place.  Who are you working for,   Men or God?  Make sure life doesn't become a fury or constantly working, and refusing to stop and listen to the heart of God.  Prioritize your life!  Be a Proverbs 31 woman, and make sure you show your love to God, your family's and friends!


Romans 12:13 "Share with God's people who are in need.  Practice hospitality."

Titus 1:8 "Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined."


I would love to hear about your story.  Are you a Mary or a Martha?  How so?  How do you keep your priority's in line?  What are your biggest challenges in your Mary and Martha worlds'?
 


Have a good week, my fellow sister's in Christ!