Are You Mary or Martha?

Luke 10:38-42 tells us about the two sisters from Bethany, Mary and Martha.

Martha, the ultimate hostess, was very concerned with making sure everything was just right for the Master's visit. She wanted the meal to be perfect, her home spotless. You know, the kinds of things most of us are concerned about when we have company in our home.

Then there's Mary. To some of us, she seems like a slacker, a lazy girl who doesn't care anything about her home.

But I'm not sure we are seeing each of these women for who they really were.

Martha was concerned about the physical things, to the exclusion of the spiritual. Jesus reminded her that the spiritual, learning at His feet, was "the better." And if we look at Martha in later scriptures, we see that she learned the lesson Jesus was teaching her. She mellowed, as we might say today. She learned to not let the urgent overshadow the important.

And Mary - Mary wasn't really lazy, she just saw an opportunity to study at the Lord's feet. She was neglecting some things, the physical things, but she was choosing the better, the more important part of life. I may be reading too much into this, but I think, from the fact that Martha was so shocked and outraged by Mary's lack of help, that Mary knew how to do the things that needed to be done for guests. If she never helped, would Martha have been so outraged?

Mary understood the lesson that Martha learned from Jesus that day. We all have urgent life matters to attend to. If you are a stay-at-home mom, you have children to care for, groceries to buy, a house to try to keep neat and clean with little ones running around. If you work outside the home, you probably put in 40 hours a week and then still have to feed and care for your husband and children. Or if you are still single, you may be working or going to school or both, which means you have a full to-do list as well.

The urgent always seems to try to blind us to the important. This life will pass away and the earth and all its things will be burned up. Then how important will it be to you that you always had your house spotless or your children were always immaculately dressed?

The most important thing in this life is a relationship with the Father through His Son Jesus Christ. And that relationship takes some effort. God loves us as we are but He loves us too much to let us stay where we are. He wants us to grow, to learn more about Him, to develop a close relationship with Him.

Mary spent her time sitting at Jesus' feet. Are we doing the same thing? Are we spending our time in study of His word, in prayer and in service to Him? The urgent can often blind us to the opportunities to serve Him, to learn from Him, to worship Him. It takes a conscious effort to build your relationship with the Father and the Son. Maybe it means giving up some sleep to have some quiet time in study and prayer. Maybe it means the house isn't spotless or your entertaining isn't "Martha Stewart" perfect but you took advantage of the opportunities to serve others.

I'd like to let you in on a little secret - when people come to your home, they aren't there to see your perfect house or eat at your perfectly set table. They are there to see YOU! If they are there to see your perfect home, that is their own problem, not yours.

So here's my advice to you - invite people over but don't stress about what you will serve or how the house looks. Pay attention to the fact that you are welcoming others into your home, your heart, and this is a time for fellowship, for learning to love others.

Some of the best times, the most memorable times I have had at my fellow sisters' homes have been when we ate sandwiches and chips and spent our time (in between chasing down children) to pick up the Word, to share our spiritual joys and concerns, to draw closer to my sisters in Christ. Those times when I was with my sisters either at my home or theirs were also times where I had the opportunity to teach my children what is most important.

I believe we can all be part Martha and part Mary. Let's choose the better things, the things that draw us closer to one another and to our Savior. I'm praying for you all!