So I just got back from a month in Bunda (rural Tanzania) and on Monday our Holiday Bible Club begins. I have 2349234 things to do, people to see, letters to post, but God is just calling me in to Him, to do one thing: rest.
Now you'd think that after 1 month of constant serving, busyness and early mornings, resting would be simple, that it would almost come naturally, and that I would definitely be happy to rest? Well yeah, that's what I thought too. However for me, giving myself over to God, to allow myself to be in his presence and rest, is a test. It's hard because resting involves meditating and thinking about the things I have seen, the people I miss, the projects I loved... and that type of thinking leaves me with feelings of sadness, anger and isolation.
There is a tiny snippet of scripture that is helping me and guiding my heart right now, and it is the lovely story of Mary and Martha, found in Luke 10:38-42: 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 all the work by myself? Tell her to help me!' 'Martha, Martha,' the Lord answered, '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.'
In general when people discuss this story, Martha is renowned for being a silly, ridiculous, houseproud woman, because she misses the point. But the more I hear Jesus calling me to put everything down, to cast my cares upon Him, the easier it is to relate to Martha. You see Martha spent her time in the kitchen, while Jesus wanted her to relax with Him in the living room.
There is a strange wee thought that the enemy plants in our head about this story, we think that before we can sit at Jesus' feet we need to sort ourselves out. But Jesus' easy and true response to this lie is that we can't sort ourselves out until we sit at His feet. It is only when we sit at Jesus' feet and allow Him to speak truth into our lives, that everything else starts to fall into place, things start making sense.
I can imagine how Martha felt, I mean if the King of Kings showed up at my door, of course I'd want the place to be tidy, the food to be tasty and the wine glasses to be tinkling. But when Jesus see's Martha's strain, her struggle, her stress: He rebukes her in the gentle and perfect way that only Jesus can. He tells her, 'Martha... Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken away from her.' We don't know what happened next, we don't know what exactly Martha did, but my guess is she dropped her oven gloves, wiped the sweat from her brow, took her apron off and sat beside her sister by Jesus' feet. I think she would have then chosen the 'better part'.
And my prayer is that you too, along with myself, can leave the busyness of the kitchen and step into the 'better part' in the living room with our best friend and Savior.
Now you'd think that after 1 month of constant serving, busyness and early mornings, resting would be simple, that it would almost come naturally, and that I would definitely be happy to rest? Well yeah, that's what I thought too. However for me, giving myself over to God, to allow myself to be in his presence and rest, is a test. It's hard because resting involves meditating and thinking about the things I have seen, the people I miss, the projects I loved... and that type of thinking leaves me with feelings of sadness, anger and isolation.
There is a tiny snippet of scripture that is helping me and guiding my heart right now, and it is the lovely story of Mary and Martha, found in Luke 10:38-42: 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 all the work by myself? Tell her to help me!' 'Martha, Martha,' the Lord answered, '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.'
In general when people discuss this story, Martha is renowned for being a silly, ridiculous, houseproud woman, because she misses the point. But the more I hear Jesus calling me to put everything down, to cast my cares upon Him, the easier it is to relate to Martha. You see Martha spent her time in the kitchen, while Jesus wanted her to relax with Him in the living room.
There is a strange wee thought that the enemy plants in our head about this story, we think that before we can sit at Jesus' feet we need to sort ourselves out. But Jesus' easy and true response to this lie is that we can't sort ourselves out until we sit at His feet. It is only when we sit at Jesus' feet and allow Him to speak truth into our lives, that everything else starts to fall into place, things start making sense.
I can imagine how Martha felt, I mean if the King of Kings showed up at my door, of course I'd want the place to be tidy, the food to be tasty and the wine glasses to be tinkling. But when Jesus see's Martha's strain, her struggle, her stress: He rebukes her in the gentle and perfect way that only Jesus can. He tells her, 'Martha... Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken away from her.' We don't know what happened next, we don't know what exactly Martha did, but my guess is she dropped her oven gloves, wiped the sweat from her brow, took her apron off and sat beside her sister by Jesus' feet. I think she would have then chosen the 'better part'.
And my prayer is that you too, along with myself, can leave the busyness of the kitchen and step into the 'better part' in the living room with our best friend and Savior.
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