Have you ever heard the bible story of Mary and Martha? If not, it is your lucky day...
Luke 10:38-42New International Version (NIV)
At the Home of Martha and Mary
38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 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!”41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one.[a] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Now, like I said before, I feel like I am a "Martha" more often than I am a "Mary." Does that make sense? Basically what I'm ranting about is that fact that I meet myself coming and going most of the time. Is this a bad thing? In my eyes...I say no. I love to be busy and it drives me crazy to have absolutely nothing to do outside of my home. Don't get me wrong, because this is the first summer that I have not had to take summer classes or work a part time job and I am LOVING it. I get to sleep in more often, I get to hang out with my best friends more than ever, and I get to spend a whole day in my pajamas if I want to.
You may be asking yourself, what is your point Bri? Well, you're in luck once again because I am about to try and tell you what that is. My point is...sometime I get so wrapped up in "helping" that I miss out on listening. I love to help people. I feel like God has given me the gift of being able to juggle things in my life like no other. There must be a reason for him gifting me with this talent...am I right? So, whenever I get a call from anyone or a person needs help...I want to be able to do that for them! I can't tell you the last time that I actually said "no" to someone. Seriously. When I am asked if I can do something...like a favor, I never say that I can't. Even if that means that I have to run up a mountain where I will saddle my horse to ride across a desert through a sand storm only to get to the destination right on time. (That was a definite exaggeration) But! You understand what I am trying to say. I over book myself daily. There are times that I forget where I am going or what I am doing even though I have a wall calendar with events and a reminder calendar on my cellular device.
I think I am missing out on being still and listening. Today, I had a revelation in the car on the way home from an unplanned situation. I was supposed to play music with a group of friends at a function. The weather did not permit us to get to the destination...so...I had to do the unthinkable in my book. The dreaded phone call (insert horror music here...dun duh duh). I had to tell someone that I could not make it to something! I felt like I let everyone down. ( You had to be there to understand ). There was a process that happened that made me feel like I wasted my friends' time while also leaving some other people high and dry. Was that true? Probably not. But no matter what I did, I could not make myself believe that.
Verse 41 above says, “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one.[a] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
I had this verse said to me on the way home from being a "big baby" about things not going my way. God said, "Bri...Oh Bri. You worry and get upset about the little things. You stress and want to be able to please everyone, but you need to please few...or indeed only one. Others have chosen what is better, and it cannot be taken away from them."
Boom! Realization of what I said before...I want to be able to help everyone! That would mean that I am being a Martha. I am running around in the kitchen like a chicken with my head chopped off. I'm trying to make sure that I am serving God and showing people his love by never saying "no". That is not how it seems to work. It makes me worried and upset when I turn people down. Then God said, "No matter how many times you say yes, you are never going to make up for ALL of those people who say no." Am I trying to make up for all of the people who say no? I think sometimes I am. They "need" me! So many others have turned them down or they don't know many others that can do these things for them. But! I have to listen every once in a while.
So! My rant is over. I have come to the conclusion that God says it is okay for me to say that "I can't do it." Why? Because there is always a next time when I am not so busy :) Then I wont stress out so much when things don't go my way lol. I need to take some time in my life to be a Mary AND a Martha. My personality and energy can't handle being a Mary ALL of the time, but I need to try and just sit at his feet and listen every now and then as well.
And That Is What...Breelynn Believes
