Becoming a Martha in my Mary World
How's that for a book title? There's already one out there called "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World" but I often toy with the idea of writing a counter to that book . . .
Mary and Martha are two sisters in the Bible who Jesus goes to visit one afternoon. Martha busies herself in the kitchen, tidying up real quick, throwing stuff into a pot on the stove, making sure there's toilet paper and clean hand towels in the bathroom no doubt, while Mary sits at Jesus's feet and listens to him talk. Martha was a little ticked that Mary wasn't helping her do anything and eventually tried to get Jesus on her side saying, "Lord, aren't you even a little bugged that Mary is just sitting there and leaving me with all the work? Whasup wit dat?" Much to her dismay, Jesus, most likely taking her hand and pulling her down to sit by him, said, "Martha, Martha, Martha, you are so worried and stressed about so many things; but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen wisely and I'm not going to take that away from her. Chill out."
Martha is most often pegged as a busybody who can't relax and Mary tends to be made out as the more carefree of the two because she knew a good thing when she saw it and picked a conversation with her dear friend (who, incidentally, was the Son of GOD) over making sure the soup was on and the cloth napkins were folded correctly. I know a lot of women who read this story and identify closely with Martha. I know a lot of women who are busy, busy ladies and do have a hard time just sitting and talking without at least thinking about all the things they should be doing, and feeling guilty that they aren't doing them. I do not relate closely with Martha AT ALL. But I wish I did. I wish I was a little more task oriented and took care of my house the way she did. I know that Mary was in the right, according to Jesus, because she saw what was most important at that moment, and if it were time with Jesus that was always tying me up then maybe I'd feel a little better about being such a "Mary". But it's not always Jesus I'm sitting with everyday. I'm not turning away from housework because I can't bare to leave the presence of my dear friend and Master. There does need to be a balance of both women or else heart to hearts won't happen, and neither will dinner.
I'm constantly working on getting more structure in my life. This is something I have to be mindful about and pursue everyday, especially as the FitzFam enters into a new year full of change. My hope is to write a bit about ways I'm working on becoming more like Martha in the next few days/weeks. And if you have any ideas I'd LOVE to hear them! And if you need any "Mary" advice, I'm here for you friends!
(Obviously there is much more that goes into the makings of these two ladies, and I hardly scratched the surface of the pros and cons of both their demeanors, I guess that's why I need to write a book about it. Oh, and obviously I added some flare to the story from the Bible, but feel free to read the real stuff for yourself. Luke 10:38-42)
Mary and Martha are two sisters in the Bible who Jesus goes to visit one afternoon. Martha busies herself in the kitchen, tidying up real quick, throwing stuff into a pot on the stove, making sure there's toilet paper and clean hand towels in the bathroom no doubt, while Mary sits at Jesus's feet and listens to him talk. Martha was a little ticked that Mary wasn't helping her do anything and eventually tried to get Jesus on her side saying, "Lord, aren't you even a little bugged that Mary is just sitting there and leaving me with all the work? Whasup wit dat?" Much to her dismay, Jesus, most likely taking her hand and pulling her down to sit by him, said, "Martha, Martha, Martha, you are so worried and stressed about so many things; but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen wisely and I'm not going to take that away from her. Chill out."
Martha is most often pegged as a busybody who can't relax and Mary tends to be made out as the more carefree of the two because she knew a good thing when she saw it and picked a conversation with her dear friend (who, incidentally, was the Son of GOD) over making sure the soup was on and the cloth napkins were folded correctly. I know a lot of women who read this story and identify closely with Martha. I know a lot of women who are busy, busy ladies and do have a hard time just sitting and talking without at least thinking about all the things they should be doing, and feeling guilty that they aren't doing them. I do not relate closely with Martha AT ALL. But I wish I did. I wish I was a little more task oriented and took care of my house the way she did. I know that Mary was in the right, according to Jesus, because she saw what was most important at that moment, and if it were time with Jesus that was always tying me up then maybe I'd feel a little better about being such a "Mary". But it's not always Jesus I'm sitting with everyday. I'm not turning away from housework because I can't bare to leave the presence of my dear friend and Master. There does need to be a balance of both women or else heart to hearts won't happen, and neither will dinner.
I'm constantly working on getting more structure in my life. This is something I have to be mindful about and pursue everyday, especially as the FitzFam enters into a new year full of change. My hope is to write a bit about ways I'm working on becoming more like Martha in the next few days/weeks. And if you have any ideas I'd LOVE to hear them! And if you need any "Mary" advice, I'm here for you friends!
(Obviously there is much more that goes into the makings of these two ladies, and I hardly scratched the surface of the pros and cons of both their demeanors, I guess that's why I need to write a book about it. Oh, and obviously I added some flare to the story from the Bible, but feel free to read the real stuff for yourself. Luke 10:38-42)
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