Boy, that makes me squirm!

I was reading the story about Mary and Martha the other day in Luke 10:38-42 and the Lord used this story to speak loudly to me about relationships. Relationship with Him as well as with my kids, husband and friends. I so often take on the role as a serving wife and mother. I have no problems in this area. I love to serve! I find it fulfilling to be able to serve my family. But that has been my problem as well. I have noticed a pattern in my life. At times when I'm serving, I have noticed that I also have neglected my family. I get so caught up in the "doing" that I have forgotten the most important part is in the "being". I have had to stop and ask myself "has my serving become self-serving?". Ouch! Sometimes it probably has.

Martha's desire was to serve Jesus, but she failed to recognize that she was actually neglecting her guest. I don't know why but this story always makes me squirm. It's probably because I'm so much like Martha, but deep down inside I want to me a Mary. I want to let the worries of this life go, like Mary did, and just sit, relax and enjoy what is in front of me. I find that I don't know how to do this. I don't know how to just sit and enjoy the company around me. It might be that I have used the excuse of serving to keep close relationships at arms length. Serving sometimes has become my safe haven. It's so much easier to serve than it is to develop relationships. It takes so much more effort to do this.

Jesus told Martha that Mary chose what was better. She chose what would never be taken away from her. Martha was worried about the temporal things of life while Mary enjoyed the lasting things of life, relationship. I've often wondered what lessons and stories Martha missed when Jesus was talking at that moment while she was busy around her house? It's obvious he was saying something very interesting for Mary to want to just sit at his feet and listen. Martha was so distracted with "doing" she forgot that just "being" was what Jesus wanted most from her. It's also very interesting that Jesus let Martha run around, never saying anything to her until Martha expressed her frustration to him. Then he lovingly put her in her place. Why did he not say anything to her, once he noticed she was distracted? He waited for her to voice her frustration about her sister before he shared his observations. What really gets me is that Martha was not sinning. She was just distracted. She took her eyes off of what was most important. Relationships. On the outside she appeared to be serving, but on the inside she missed it altogether. What I love most about this story, is that He never threw it at her face but gently, at the right moment, showed her what her weakness was. I love it when God uses the perfect moment to show us where we are wrong. He never yells at us, never shakes His head in frustration. He just waits. Waits till we are ready to hear from him, usually its in the middle of our frustration. This has been an eye opening truth for me this week. Does this story make you squirm too? If it does, it could be because Jesus has been waiting to show you your own weakness. Don't pass up the chance for the Lord to gently put you in your place. I'm sure glad I didn't!!

Devotional

A great place to read some awesome devotionals including the one I'm reading by Selwyn Hughes is www.oneplace.com. The devotional is called Every Day Light. They post a new devotional everyday. Check it out and be blessed!

Good Quote!

I love to read and hear good quotes from people. I think it's awesome that someone can say a few words and in those few words they can speak volumes. Here is a good one I heard recently:

Mercy is not getting what I deserve.
Grace is getting what I don't deserve.

Ah...! Why can't life be easier?

On my "Words to Ponder" section of my blog, I have a quote my pastor once said that has stuck with me for many years. He said: "Frustration is you, not getting your own way". This quote hit me because at the time in my life I often felt frustrated with circumstances going on around me. It was then that I realized that if I did not let my frustrations go I was going to live a very discontented life.

I have been reading from my devotional "Everyday light" by Selwyn Hughes and today it really spoke to me. BTW, (I just learned what "BTW" means. It means "By the way". Thank you, Kyleen!) if you have never read his devotionals, think about reading them. They are always so good and to the point. I think you can read them online too. Any ways, I wanted to share what I read today. Here it is:

"Taking every project prisoner"

We continue looking at things we can do to stay spiritually fresh. Another suggestion is this-learn how to deal with frustration. Time and time again, I have sat with people who have said: “What’s wrong with me? I feel so low spiritually. I am not involved in sin. Why does my Christian life feel so stale? On many of those occasions, I have observed that the problem contributing to their feelings of spiritual staleness is an inability to cope with frustration.

One of the most radiant Christians I have ever met was a seed salesman in West Wales. He was crippled in both his lower limbs by poliomyelitis, he drove a hand-controlled car and would make his way to outlying farms to sell seed to the farmers. Sometimes it would take him an hour just to get out of his car and open a farm gate-but he persevered nevertheless.

One day I said to him: “Don’t you get frustrated by your condition? How do you keep going like this when many others would have settled for a lifetime of invalidism and inactivity?” His reply has lived on in my heart for over thirty years: “I take every project prisoner to make it obey Christ-even the project of poliomyelitis.” He had learned how to make his frustration fruitful. When you and I can learn how to make the ugly into the beautiful, the evil into the good, then frustration will never get a hold on us. The secret of living is the secret of using. Learn that and you will never be frustrated again.

For further reading I read in 2 Cor. 4:1-10 that I am a fragile being "a jar of clay". And in this fragile being I have a treasure- His power. Some might say why put a priceless treasure in something that is fragile and knowingly break? God said that He purposely did this to show that this power is from Him and not from me. How humbling! It also says that I will be hard pressed on all sides. I will feel the pressures of this life, but this jar (me) will never be crushed! I will be confused, but I will know that God knows what to do. He will "father me" through all my confusing situations! I will be knocked down but I will know that God has not left my side and I will get back up. He will carry me through! The "for sure's" of life will always be there. But the flip side is that everything will be O.K. in the end. I will be O.K. because God's power and presence is in me. All my trials, risks and humiliations are perfect opportunities for Christ to demonstrate His power through me! What a powerful and freeing truth to know. I pray the Lord blesses you today with this same truth!