Your invitation to sit quietly
Does your heart feel like Martha’s?
I know mine does.
I read that story in Luke 10. My heart aches for her.
She is busy. She is distracted. She is serving. She is doing all the work. She is trying to make everything perfect.
All the while, her sister, Mary, is just sitting at Jesus’s feet. She is listening.
The Resentment and the Scolding
Martha is overwhelmed. She is frustrated. If we’re honest, she is a little resentful. She just wants some help.
When she finally snaps, Jesus’s response can feel a little unfair.
“Martha, Martha,” he said, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her.”
lUKE 10:41-42
For years, I heard this as a scolding.
“Stop doing. Start sitting. Be more like Mary.”
It just added to my guilt. Someone still has to make the dinner!
An Invitation, Not a Scolding
But what if this isn’t a scolding? What if it is an invitation?
Jesus didn’t scold Martha for serving. He met her in her anxiety.
He saw her “worried and upset” heart. He saw it was spun up by a dozen different “shoulds.”
He wasn’t telling her to abandon her work. He was inviting her to find her anchor first.
He was reminding her of a vital truth. Our doing for Him must flow from our being with Him.
yOUR PROMPTS
Prompts for Your “Martha” Heart
Your journal is the sacred space where you can be a “Martha” with a “Mary” heart.
- Name the “Many Things”: “Lord, like Martha, I am worried and upset about ‘many things’ today. The ‘spin’ in my mind is about…”
- Find the “One Thing”: “Putting aside the ‘doing’ for a moment, what is the ‘one thing’ my soul truly needs from You right now?”
- A Prayer of Sitting: “I am setting down my ‘to-do’ list. Just for this moment. I want to ‘sit at Your feet.’ The one thing I want to listen for is…”
- A Kind Action: “How can I carry this ‘one thing’ (my peace) INTO my ‘many things’ (my work) today?”
yOUR ACTION POINT
Your Action Point: The “One Thing” Anchor
Your action is not to stop your “doing.” It is to invite Him into it.
- Choose one of your “Martha” tasks for the day. (for example, Washing the dishes. Driving to work. Answering emails.)
- Pause. Before you begin, take one minute.
- Anchor yourself. Close your eyes. Take one deep breath.
- Pray. Say a simple prayer: “Lord, I am doing this WITH You.”
This simple act transforms your “work” into “worship.”
It brings Mary’s heart to Martha’s hands.
With love, Debbera
