Mary or Martha?

Are you a Martha because you’re a Mary or a Mary because you’re a Martha. Many of you have probably read or heard of the portion out of the Bible regarding Martha & Mary. For those of you who haven’t, please consider the excerpt below:

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her.” - Luke 10:38-42 NIV

Many excerpts have been written by many authors, theologians and the like. Before we get too in depth about this portion of the Bible, I’d like you to refer to the question at the top of this blog…are you a Martha because you’re a Mary or a Mary because you’re a Martha? You may be asking yourself, “what on earth do these people mean?”

Well, let’s think about this…do you have a tendency to be organized, efficient and you feel as though you complete (for the most part) your tasks on time so that when the need arises, you can sit and minister to someone? Do you have time to talk to those in need, volunteer your time to local organizations and charities without your home being neglected? Also, if someone drops in on you at home, do you make that person feel welcome and at ease? OR, are you a nervous Nellie about your home because you spend your time figuring ways to “get organized” but never get there? So, when someone needs help or drops in you are rushing here and there trying to get it all done as they sit and wait.

God made us all differently, that is for sure. We are not here to judge which way is best. It’s obvious that someone needed to prepare the meal for Jesus’ visit but it’s also obvious that someone needed to keep Him company. After all, what the Bible doesn’t tell us is what went on before Jesus came. Perhaps Mary diligently did her work throughout the day and felt as though she had accomplished all she needed to. And, maybe, just maybe, Martha had spent her morning at the well gossiping and chatting idly and her morning had quickly been frittered away. Then, Martha arrives home and is already feeling guilty for her lack of accomplishment and feels about 2 hours behind. This is only amplified by Jesus showing up. I can just hear Martha now, sighing heavily as her sister Mary invites Jesus in.

Is that what we, as women and mothers do when something doesn’t go according to plan? It certainly is how I react! I’m pretty sure I even mutter under my breath, roll my eyes and loudly set something down. But, in the end, am I usually glad that ‘change of plan’ happened? Yep. So, for today when something throws your day off kilter, just sigh and smile. After all, in the scheme of things - is it REALLY earth-shattering?

Have a blessed day ~
Mary & Martha

A bit about the authors:

Jessica is a Christian, married, home schools and works part time outside the home. For the most part people consider her to be the above mentioned organized, efficient and task-oriented. Those that really know her know she takes efficiency to a whole different level, of which you will learn more about as you continue to enjoy this blog. She really is quite comical in her own way with her obsessive behavior.  As she stands, with her sleeves rolled up and sweating, she watches in awe as Kristi works with ease all the while using some incredibly ingenious contraption she invented, purchased or redefined it's intended use! 

Kristi is a Christian, married, home schools and also works part time outside the home. However, despite the long friendship - this is pretty much where the similarities with Jessica end. Kristi has four boys and spends most of her time finding ways to be more organized.  This includes, but certainly is not limited to gadgets, websites and creating her own concoctions.  So while Jessica is growing her garden, Kristi is busy researching the bugs that grow on tomatoes that will hinder her ability to harvest and creating a contraption to stop or capture them when she finally plants them.