Even Mary's Need To Rest
I've been accused of being a Mary. Yes, it's true; I would choose to sit at the feet of Jesus long before I would choose to be in the kitchen preparing the evening meal! I wouldn't want to miss a word of what He had to say plus, I'm not the greatest cook in the world to begin with. The best thing I make is a reservation!
For those that aren't familiar with the story of Mary and Martha, this is it:
As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem,
they came to a village where a woman named Martha welcomed them
into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord's feet, listening to
what he taught. But Martha was worrying over 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 so upset over
all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned
about. Mary has discovered it-and I won't take it away from her."
Luke 10:38-42
As I was typing this passage, it caught my attention that it was Martha who "welcomed them into her home." I really do think Martha catches a bad rap in this whole scenario. If Martha had not welcomed them into her home, where would Mary have been? Would she have been able to sit at Jesus' feet and listen to his teaching?
You see, being a Mary for the most part, I don't have the gift of hospitality. I score very low in that area when I take the gifts test, and I realize it fully. I'd just rather not...not cook, not clean, not decorate, not garden, not shop, not,not,not... So you may be asking yourself, what would I like to be doing? Good question! What do "Mary's" do?
Well, this "Mary" likes to read and I like to write. I like to sit
on a park bench and watch the world go by. I like to watch the waves break on
the ocean shore, or watch the flames in a campfire. I like silence and to be
alone with God for long periods of time, or sit with friends and discuss all
that God is doing in our day-to-day lives. I like to find the peace that Jesus
left us with, which means--I like to listen and to be still...it's what I need most.
But, no Mary is without some Martha inside, just as no Martha is without some Mary. My husband, Jim, likes to tease me about the movie "The Dream Team." In that movie, there is a scene with the patients sitting around in a mental hospital having a group session. One of the patients likes things tidy, and as they are sitting there, a piece of paper is placed on the floor and is to be left there. Well, the "tidy" patient cannot stand it one more minute. He HAS to pick it up. I'm like that. I like things tidy, I like things in order, I like to get the work done as quickly as possible. I really can work hard and I do work hard, when it is called for, so then...I can rest!
I appreciate the Martha's of this world, don't get me wrong! My best friend is a "Martha." We are about as opposite as can be, and yet we just returned from a vacation together and could not have had a better time! She loves to SHOP, I do not...she loves to keep busy, I do not...she loves to get up first thing in the morning and get the day started...my day starts much later. How can this possibly work out? And yet, Mary and Martha were sisters. They lived in the same house; they entertained the same guests that Martha invited in. They made it work.
Were there frustrations? You bet! Martha didn't want to be there in the kitchen all by herself, she wanted some help! Why didn't Mary realize that? Why wasn't she in there making the bread and setting the table? What was her problem anyway? To tell you the truth, Mary didn't see the need for all the fuss, at least, that's the way I see it. It would get done in time, but first, let's sit a spell and talk a bit, because even Mary's need to rest. Even Mary's need some time at the feet of our Lord just listening. You may say they do that all the time, I see them over there doing nothing, but that is not entirely true. Our work is just different, it is more silent, it is more subdued, but it is still work-and we still come up empty and need to be filled as much as "busy" Martha.
I didn't really realize that until this trip with my friend. I may not be up and active at 6 a.m., but when I am up, my mind is active. My thoughts are focused, my attention is always on the details of relationships, always wanting to learn something new, gain some new revelation from God, grow and expand upon the things He has already taught me. I want to know the why's and the wherefores and the whatnot's. I want to absorb books I am reading and the ways of the world so that I can see how all the pieces match up. I want to get to the bottom of things and that doesn't leave much time for skimming along the surface. I want to go deep, quickly, and not come up for air for a very long time. I want to know what makes you tick, not what wound your clock.
And then, I want to spend even more time with God until I'm so full the only relief I have is to write about it until my slate is clean again, my sponge has been wrung dry, and I can start to absorb the next flow of life experiences that God will take me through. It is a constant ebb and flow of absorption and laying it all out to dry.
What some "Mary's" do is not so easily seen. Their work does not appear as a perfectly prepared meal on a table, but perhaps it appears in words that paint a picture, in hearts that have been encouraged, in friends who need a listening ear. What Mary's do is not a waste of time, but a different use of time, and even Mary's need to rest. Even Mary's need to sit quiet and not "work" from time to time. They need to find Jesus and sit at His feet too.
For the first time in over two years, I went away and did not write. I truly felt God asking me to leave my laptop behind and rest--to stop "thinking" for a while and to just spend time at Jesus' feet getting to know Him better. It took some time to stop "cataloging" things in my brain, to just enjoy them for what they are at the moment and to relax completely in them. If I needed what I was experiencing for future writings, I would have to depend on God to bring it back to my memory. Just as a Martha has to put down her mixer and take off her apron, I too had to unplug my laptop and let it rest--and it was good.
Deuteronomy 5:15
Remember that you were once
slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your
God brought you out with amazing power
and mighty deeds. That is why the Lord
your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.
We all need the Sabbath day, and we all need times when we get away from it all and change our routine, whatever our routine may be. Some lead very stressful lives and it is very obvious that there has been a change when they are stretched out on a beach in Hawaii. Some life changes are not so obvious. I mean, we live in an RV. We travel full-time now. As some would say, we LIVE on vacation!
Wherever you live, whatever you do 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, is your life. It doesn't matter if you are a Mary or a Martha, you need a break. You need to sit at Jesus' feet and rest because dinners always need to be made, dishes always need to be done, stories always need to be written and bills always need to be paid. Life moves quickly, and if we are not careful, we will miss a good part of it in our busy-ness. We will miss the "one thing worth being concerned about."
I needed this time away, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. My friend needed this time away, and we both spent time sitting at Jesus' feet together. Yes, Mary and Martha were there together...no one was in the kitchen on this trip. At first, Martha had a hard time staying out of the "kitchen." The first few mornings, "Martha" had itchy feet. All she could see when she awoke was that the cover on the tent needed to be taken off and laid out in the sun to dry so we could role it up with the tent and be on our way! On our way where? We had no agenda, no set plans, no time schedule. This was an adjustment for "Martha."
What did "Mary" have to adjust to? Keeping up with Martha!! Really, it was quite comical at times. You see, here in the south, which is where we were traveling, they love rocking chairs. You will find them out in front of some restaurants and Mary's have a hard time not stopping. They seem to call to us, and say come rock, come sit in the sun and rest. You don't need to drive, you just need to stop and have some sweet tea (if you like it) and sit a spell. Were Mary's made for Southern living? Maybe so.
As "Mary and Martha" traveled on though, they realized that the differences really made no difference when it came to loving Jesus. When Martha came out of the "kitchen," her love for Jesus was just as powerful and just as sincere as Mary's was. The time spent at His feet together were nothing less than wonderful. When meals didn't need to be prepared, when homes didn't need to be cleaned, when children didn't need to be tended to, there is a time for Mary and Martha to be one with Him.
As my friend and I sat in our tent along the French Broad River in North
Carolina one morning, we opened the front flap and had our Bible Study
together. No hurry, no rush, just time in the Word looking out at the wide
river before us and the crane that God had placed there that day. He would fly
from rock to rock in the river, entertaining us with his beauty.
As my friend and I sat under the trees in Williamsburg, Virginia having our
Bible Study, we looked out at the beautiful fall colors and God joined us
there. As we finished our study that day the words in the book we were using
made us laugh in delight. We had carried our chairs to a ledge overlooking a
valley of trees and a small lake. While reading the last line in our book, we
read, "What are you looking at?" We knew it was God's gift because
He had led us to this very spot to sit at His feet.
As my friend and I sat by our campfire in Georgia, we read of the vine and the
branches and remaining in Jesus. We read, "Such branches are gathered
into a pile to be burned. But if you stay joined to me and my words remain in
you, you may ask any request you like, and it will be granted." (John
5:6-7) We looked down at the pile of branches we had gathered that morning for
our fire, and laughed once again. God was meeting us right where we were at!
Mary and Martha, sitting at the feet of Jesus, together. Different in so many ways, but not in the ways that mattered most. Their love for Jesus was the same. He understood that, and all He wanted for both of them was the best that He had to give. Time with Him was a gift, and He didn't want Martha to miss out. He knew that she needed it as much as Mary did.
Mary did not sit at Jesus' feet out of fullness, but out of needing to be filled with Him. If she had run off into the kitchen, she would have been frustrated too! The meal would have been prepared, put on the table, and eaten by those in attendance, but the sisters would have missed out on what was most important...Jesus was there for them too!
"Mary" was hungry, but not for food! She needed to feast at the feet of her Lord. She needed to learn anything and everything He could teach her. It was what she lived for. Without it, her life would be empty and meaningless. She would not have the love she needed to give to those around her. She would not have the energy and the will to survive each day. She was not strong like Martha was, but so very weak, and she knew it. She could not sustain life as her sister could; she was not wired that way. She needed to rest to make it through. She could have gone into the kitchen to help out, but she would be of little help. It was not her calling, it was not her nature, it was not what interested her. She admired her sister for all that she could do, for her talents and her hard work, but she could not last very long under such pressure. She needed to rest.
I command you to love each other in the same way
that I love you. And here is how to measure it-
the greatest love is shown when people lay down their
lives for their friends. You are my friends if you obey me.
John 15:12-14
How do Mary and Martha lay down their lives for Jesus? By obeying Him and spending time with Him. By putting the cooking utensils away for a moment, by putting the writing tools away for a moment and just sitting at His feet. Jesus doesn't want us busy for Him all the time; He wants us to spend time with Him.
I don't want my "Martha" friend to be up cooking me a meal the whole time I am at her house. I want her to sit and talk with me, to share her life with me, to laugh with me and to cry with me and to just be with me while I am there. I won't always be there, we won't always have this time...Jesus would be moving on soon too, and that time was very precious. It was to be savored.
Sometimes we just need to "lay down our lives" and sit a spell. When we do, we will see the most astounding things...we will see sunny days when there should be rain, we will see hearts healed when the world says it is not possible, we will see relationships mended and miracles happen. We will see God in our every day like never before, and we will find an even greater hunger and thirst for His presence.
We can't live on vacation, even those of us who live in an RV have to come "home," and get back to work--Here I Am!--but we need to take some time now and then to enjoy sitting at the feet of Jesus and resting there. Perhaps then we'll start to see the world through His eyes as we've never seen it before. It's not a crime; it's a gift that God wants us to have.
Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you
who are weary and carry heavy burdens,
and I will give you rest. Take my
yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because
I am humble and gentle, and you will
find rest for your souls. For my yoke fits
perfectly, and the burden I give you is light."
Matthew 11:28-30
Come on out of the kitchen and sit a spell.
Dinner can wait!
Jesus is here and He wants to talk with you too!
Living in His peace and joy,
Diane
