Scripture has a number of references to the sisters Martha and Mary and their brother Lazarus. But the one which grabs me from time to time is the incident where Martha is busily working while Mary is sitting at His feet listening to Him and worshiping Him, leaving all the work to Martha. Martha goes to Jesus asking Him to tell Mary to pitch in and help with the preparations, but Jesus tells Martha that Mary is actually doing a better thing and that Martha should not be so critical of her sister.
Sometimes we fall into the routine of serving, volunteering for every task, worrying about not getting the job done or just plain overdoing it, burning out from too much "religious" activity and being critical of others who may be less involved or not pulling their own weight in ministry. Yes, we are called to serve God and help those whose burden may be too heavy for them, but we are also called to take time to be with The Lord, to worship Him, exalt Him and listen at His feet when He speaks to us. There is a balance to our spiritual life which should develop as we mature in our faith, get more involved in being fed rather than always preparing the meal for others to eat.
Karen and I have "Martha'ed" a great deal in our spiritual journey. Our time at The Great Passion Play was much the same. It was a good experience and one we anticipate returning to in the Spring. Here at Source of Light, we are trying to find our "work"niche, but we have access to a great deal of literature which is distributed to missionaries, prison ministries and other areas where disciples are called to disciple others. I pray that with these resources available, we will both take the time to "Mary" more and "Martha" less, to be fed more and grow in our relationship with Jesus, to not just know more about Him, but to know Him more intimately. Of course we will continue to serve, but when Jesus calls us to sit, wait and listen, which may be the reason He brought us here, I hope we will be obedient to that call, and sit reverently at The Master's feet.
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