One of my favorite stories in the Gospels is the first encounter with Mary and Martha. It’s so personal to me; so poignant. There is more about Mary and Martha and their brother, Lazarus, later in the book of John; the three actually became very dear friends of Jesus. But in the 10th chapter of Luke, we are introduced only to Mary and Martha, and there isn’t a woman I’ve met (sorry, guys) who doesn’t see a little of Martha in herself. I know I do. We run around like crazy, placing expectations on ourselves that aren’t necessary, and then we get bitter when either someone doesn’t notice or has fun doing something else.
Martha opened herself up to Jesus – albeit with a little bit of whining – and Jesus didn’t pull any punches with her. I mean, He was kind, but very clear. Her sister, Mary, who was sitting at the feet of Jesus, soaking up His every word, had no intention of wasting alot of time in the kitchen. She refused to miss that opportunity. Jesus told Martha that Mary had made the better choice.
When we look around and measure everything by its expiration date – the Day Jesus returns – we have to admit that the only thing left will be our relationships…especially our relationship with Jesus. Shouldn’t that make us want to be more like Mary?
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