Tis’ the season for our Martha to be highlighted and our Mary hearts challenged. So many of us are preparing our homes for guests or trying to make things absolutely perfect for our families.
Maybe we’re running around buying all the gifts for loved ones. Maybe we’re frantically baking all the goodies for our neighbors, putting up all the Christmas lights for the kids to enjoy. We’re finding the Christmas parades, tree lightings, and Christmas activities to make this season magical for our kids.
While all of these things are beautiful, they can easily turn us into Martha. In fact, our speedy society encourages our Martha hearts to come out in full force during this season. The list above is not unfamiliar to me as I’m sure it’s not for you.
Now Martha wasn’t wrong in her serving but with her focus solely on serving when Jesus came, she has become a prime example of what we gravitate towards, especially during this season. An example that says there are more important things other than resting in Jesus.
We want to make the experiences magical for those around us. We begin to think that our acts are greater than our rest in Jesus. In doing this we let our Mary hearts go. The hearts that just want to sit with Jesus and take him all in. The hearts that long to rest in him. The hearts that want to give our very best to him and him alone.
Thats what advent is about. It’s about resting in Jesus, the hope and rescue he brings.
Have you gotten a bit frustrated with your loved ones this season? Maybe you’ve gone out to a Christmas event, come home and snipped at your kids or your spouse. Have you rolled those eyes of yours as you deep cleaned yet another room in the house to prepare for guests? Maybe you’ve gotten frustrated with your family as you prepared baked goods for neighbors.
You see all of these things are so good. But through the lens of the world, we come up short and our Martha hearts pour out. The heart that keeps serving from a place of me me me. The heart that begins to place blame on others (Victim mentality anyone?)
Yet, when we view those things with a focus on Jesus they begin to look differently. Maybe we’re staying up a bit later because our little ones are just moving a bit slower after a big outing. Maybe we’re snuggling them until they fall asleep even though there is a sink full of dishes downstairs. It could be skipping the base boards to enjoy a walk with your family. It could look like flour all over the kitchen because you let your kids in on the neighborhood baking.
Just maybe it looks like choosing to say no to a lot this season so you can spend more time praying, more time reading Gods word.
Tis the season to know our limits more than ever. To know when too much is too much. Tis the season to keep our Mary hearts strong so we find rest in whats to come.
So the next time we want to shoot back at our family…. “I’m doing this for you guys! This is supposed to be fun!.”
Let’s make sure it isn’t an outpouring of the Martha in us all.
“But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, 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.”
Luke 10:42-42 ESV
***Diving into how we can find our triggers and know our limits in my group Prayer Filled Chaos this week. Join me!
prayerfilledchaos.wordpress.com 