\u201cMartha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n
Has there ever been a time in your life where you feel you could insert your name in that sentence? Or maybe you feel that you can right now as you read this.<\/p>\n
Are you anxious and troubled about many things? School? Grades? A busy schedule? Trying to juggle being a good friend, sister, daughter, mother, mentor, etc? Or perhaps getting anxious as this season gets busier and busier? Something didn\u2019t go the way you thought it would? Unmet high expectations?<\/p>\n
Let me give you some encouragement. These are actually the very words of Jesus as He came to visit Mary and Martha. And the words He shared with them are the words He\u2019s sharing with us. And it is something that God has used to radically change my life. And I pray it does the same for you <3<\/p>\n
I want us to pause and open our Bibles to Luke 10:38-42.<\/p>\n
Once you\u2019re there, I want you to read along with me. What I am about to share with you is something God used to radically change my life. And it comes straight from His Word.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord\u2019s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, \u201cLord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to stop then to help me.\u201d But the Lord answered her, \u201cMartha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luke 10:38-42<\/p>\n
Wow. Is this not moving? Can you immediately insert yourself into this story? I know I can!<\/p>\n
Here we have Jesus Christ\u2014God in the flesh\u2014in Martha\u2019s house. In Martha\u2019s mind, she wants to serve him well. (Understandable, right?) And don\u2019t you know Martha truly means well? She wants everything to be so perfect for Jesus. She probably wants the food to be perfect. A clean house. A house prepared to host. And I imagine she was going ninety-to-nothing.<\/p>\n
In the midst of it all, Martha became incredibly distracted. And with all of the things piled up on each other, she began to be anxious about many things. This was because she was missing one thing\u2026.the main thing. Enjoying being with the one she was hosting. Sitting at his feet. Listening to him. Learning from him. She thought that the \u201cthings\u201d she could do for him was the key when really, she didn\u2019t have to do a thing but sit at his feet.<\/p>\n
Now let\u2019s talk about Mary. Mary knew all that needed to be done I imagine. My guess would be that Martha probably gave her a list of all the things they needed to check off and all Mary needed to do to help serve Jesus.<\/p>\n
But when Jesus entered the room, immediately in Mary\u2019s heart and mind, nothing else mattered. Everything else stopped in her life. She knew who was in her midst. And she just wanted to sit at His feet and enjoy His presence. There\u2019s something so powerful about that last line\u2014\u201c Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.\u201d<\/p>\n
This moves me every time I read it. The GOOD portion. The one thing necessary. And it won\u2019t be taken away.<\/p>\n
Can you relate to this story? If so, do you identify more with Mary or with Martha? This story is so, so timely for us today in the society we are living in sisters.<\/p>\n
For me, part of my testimony is that I was a Martha at one point in my life. Honestly it was for a few years! My lifestyle was insanely busy and it was go, go, go non-stop. To say I was distracted was an understatement. And to say I was anxious is an understatement. And it\u2019s because I was trying to take control of things and carry the weight of all that I was juggling and I was never meant to.<\/p>\n
The life that society throws at us and tempts us to adopt and adapt to is not sustainable. And that is why anxiety is rampant in this world. It\u2019s why so many are crippled by it. I myself felt crippled by it. But praise God He drew me out of the pit and set me on higher ground. He spoke the better word over me and that\u2019s why I\u2019m sharing my heart in this text today because if you are reading this and you feel that you\u2019ve been a Martha too\u2014anxious or distracted or troubled by many things, there is hope! And there is an answer. And His name is Jesus \uf04a<\/p>\n
Let me tell you sisters, anxiety is NOT your portion! Your portion is peace and joy. And it is found in Jesus. He IS our peace. He IS our joy. He healed me and He will heal you too!<\/p>\n
My life was radically changed when I entered into His rest and began to walk at His pace. I haven\u2019t been the same and I\u2019ll never be the same.<\/p>\n
I was Martha. Distracted by many things. Anxious about many things. Busy doing all of the things. And it\u2019s not that these things were \u201cbad\u201d things! But they were distracting. Martha surely wasn\u2019t doing anything \u201cbad\u201d\u2014but she was so busy doing so many things that she was distracted from the main thing\u2014the good portion\u2014sitting at the feet of Jesus and resting in His presence. And that was my story too.<\/p>\n
In most beautiful, gentle, loving way, God told me to just be with Him. To be still and know that He is God. To cease striving. To sit at His feet. And doing that enabled me to step into the fullness of joy. A joy that\u2019s unshakeable and a joy that cannot be taken from me.<\/p>\n
The joy doesn\u2019t come from everything in my surroundings becoming perfect. Things won\u2019t be perfect until Jesus comes back one day and makes all things new.<\/p>\n
The joy comes from knowing I belong to my perfect Heavenly Father who has already won. Who loves me. Who is pleased with me. Who calls me His own. Who sent His only Son to die for me. Who reigns victorious over all. Who has gone before me. Who chose me before the world began. Who wrote a story for me before I was even born. And I choose every single day to rest in the shadow of the Almighty and I live for an audience of One.<\/p>\n
And sisters, this truth applies to you too. You can step into the fullness of joy that only Jesus offers and enter into His rest. You can reclaim your peace!<\/p>\n
We\u2019re not called to be a Martha. We\u2019re not called to do all of the things. We\u2019re robbed of our peace when we begin to do that.<\/p>\n\n\t\t