“As Jesus and His disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.” – Luke 10:38
Hello dearest ladies! It was so good to see you at Celebration Midwest, and go on our fun, soaking wet, rain excursion ;) I hope your summers have been going wonderfully! I’m just going to get straight to it, I have been thinking a lot about Martha lately and what she was like. So many times throughout my life I have heard people say things like, “learn to have a Mary heart in a Martha world”, or “I wish I was more like Mary instead of Martha”, or “I have such a Martha heart”. I have said all those things myself at one point or another. When I get stressed out over details I tell myself to stop being like Martha. When I try and plan too much and get bossy I tell myself to stop being like Martha. But recently I have been wondering at Martha’s bad rep. Lately it seems like God has flipped some kind of switch in my mind, and I’ve started wondering “Hey wait a second, what’s so wrong with Martha?!”
The very first thing we read about Martha is her hospitality. She opened her home to Jesus. Hospitality is such a tricky thing for me sometimes. I love opening my home, but then get stressed out over the details that shouldn’t really matter. Is it more important to have eight matching table settings for a dinner party, or have extra people come and fellowship? I struggle. This was the very thing Martha struggled with too, and the thing that gives her a bad rep in the list of Bible women. But to me this is the one thing I really appreciate about her! I can identify with her soooo much. What I love about it is Jesus reaction to her struggle, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed” (Luke 10:41). I know Jesus is talking about resting in Him here, but a part of me would like to think He is talking to her practically too. Maybe something along the lines of, “Martha, you are worried and upset about the table settings not matching, but only one thing is needed, enjoying fellowship with me.”
I think what I get frustrated about is, in Sunday school the story of Martha and her reputation tends to end there; her being scolded about being worried. But just one book over, in John chapter 11, Martha is brought into the story again. When the sisters find out that Jesus has come for Lazarus’s death, Martha is the first one to greet Him. “When Martha heard that Jesus was coming she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed home.” John 11:20. The very thing that Jesus had asked Martha to work on the last time they saw each other (loosing herself in Him) is the very thing she shows Him now by being the first one to go to Him. No one ever really mentions that part about her. No one ever talks about how she learned from her mistake and how Jesus forgave her. I love Jesus and Martha’s relationship; it makes me feel more hopeful about my relationship with Him. So I am totally ok with having a Martha-like heart now. :)
Going Green,
Miss
Hello dearest ladies! It was so good to see you at Celebration Midwest, and go on our fun, soaking wet, rain excursion ;) I hope your summers have been going wonderfully! I’m just going to get straight to it, I have been thinking a lot about Martha lately and what she was like. So many times throughout my life I have heard people say things like, “learn to have a Mary heart in a Martha world”, or “I wish I was more like Mary instead of Martha”, or “I have such a Martha heart”. I have said all those things myself at one point or another. When I get stressed out over details I tell myself to stop being like Martha. When I try and plan too much and get bossy I tell myself to stop being like Martha. But recently I have been wondering at Martha’s bad rep. Lately it seems like God has flipped some kind of switch in my mind, and I’ve started wondering “Hey wait a second, what’s so wrong with Martha?!”
The very first thing we read about Martha is her hospitality. She opened her home to Jesus. Hospitality is such a tricky thing for me sometimes. I love opening my home, but then get stressed out over the details that shouldn’t really matter. Is it more important to have eight matching table settings for a dinner party, or have extra people come and fellowship? I struggle. This was the very thing Martha struggled with too, and the thing that gives her a bad rep in the list of Bible women. But to me this is the one thing I really appreciate about her! I can identify with her soooo much. What I love about it is Jesus reaction to her struggle, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed” (Luke 10:41). I know Jesus is talking about resting in Him here, but a part of me would like to think He is talking to her practically too. Maybe something along the lines of, “Martha, you are worried and upset about the table settings not matching, but only one thing is needed, enjoying fellowship with me.”
I think what I get frustrated about is, in Sunday school the story of Martha and her reputation tends to end there; her being scolded about being worried. But just one book over, in John chapter 11, Martha is brought into the story again. When the sisters find out that Jesus has come for Lazarus’s death, Martha is the first one to greet Him. “When Martha heard that Jesus was coming she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed home.” John 11:20. The very thing that Jesus had asked Martha to work on the last time they saw each other (loosing herself in Him) is the very thing she shows Him now by being the first one to go to Him. No one ever really mentions that part about her. No one ever talks about how she learned from her mistake and how Jesus forgave her. I love Jesus and Martha’s relationship; it makes me feel more hopeful about my relationship with Him. So I am totally ok with having a Martha-like heart now. :)
Going Green,
Miss
June 22, 2010 at 4:00 PM
Oh Missy - so glad that you wrote about this!
It's encouraging to read a story about Jesus loving and fellowshiping with someone, who, like us, is bound to mess up. I'm glad we can learn from our mistakes and move forward! And I'm glad Jesus isn't counting our mess-ups : )