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So, what did God have for me? What does He desire for His
beloved daughters?
One of the things I love about God is that He is not
distant. He sent His Son in flesh and blood to be Immanuel, God with us. Jesus
experienced unhealthy standards thrown His way. He had His share of encounters
where He helped His followers sort out God’s truth from the cultural
expectations of the day.
One of those encounters was at the home of an ultimate
perfectionist—Martha. In Luke 10:38-40 we read:
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 few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Now, I know Martha gets a bad rap sometimes. The truth is
Martha probably had a pretty incredible gift of hospitality. Beyond that,
Martha was simply acting within the expectations for the time in which she lived
by inviting Jesus and His followers into her home to feed them. It’s understandable
that she would be running around tending to details and upset with her sister
for literally sitting down on the job.
You see, what Mary was doing was scandalous. Women did not
simply sit at a Rabbi’s feet to learn. Women had a to-do list to complete when
guests came. This fact was not supposed to be questioned. This was not supposed
to violated or defied for any reason.
But, I want you to see is that this passage is not really
about Martha or Mary. It’s about Jesus. It’s about His response. It’s about His
speaking truth and affirmation to good girl Martha.
In Luke 10:40, Jesus says to Martha:
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things,"
“Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset.” I don’t know
about you, but somehow I can hear the gentleness in His voice when He says
Martha’s name. Not only that. Jesus saw her. He truly saw her. He understood
why she felt like she had to do and do more that day. He understood why she
hollered about not having help.
And He gave her the truth about the doing and the being
more.
He said this: “Only one thing is needed.” What one thing?
Listening. Sitting at His feet. You see, when we stop long enough to sit at His
feet, we get to hear the Truth about who we are and what God has for us. When
we are able to hear His voice saying our name, we find out that not all of the
expectations we put on ourselves are the “better” thing. While some of them may
be good, they are not the best.
And God has something unique for each of us. He made you. He
knows you. You don’t have to live up to a broad brushstroke of what the world
or even the church says about trying harder or measuring up to a standard.
God’s desire for your life has nothing to do with these kinds
of burdens. In another passage Jesus tells His followers, “My yoke is easy. My
burden is light.” Most days, those words are hard to believe. I know I have set
them aside in the past.
Jesus goes on to say to His disciples, “I will not lay
anything ill-fitting on you.” How can believe this now? Because He already did.
He placed those burdens we place on ourselves onto Himself instead. And all of
our striving to be and do more? He placed them up on the cross. He set us
free—with His words and with His actions! Not our actions. Not our doing. His.
That is why we can let go of the false things we believe
about ourselves and what we think we need to do for Him. We can learn to let go
of perfection and all the trying to keep up. We can stop running around trying
to please. We can trust Him when He says, “There is the better way. I made it
for you.”
The better way includes grace. Freedom. Rhythms, not seeking
balance and bullet-point lists at every turn. Eugene Peterson paraphrased
Jesus this way in The Message (Matthew 11:28-30):
“Come to me. Get
away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real
rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced
rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep
company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
He says these things in a Voice more tender than you can
imagine. He looks into your uncertain eyes. He holds you in His arms because of
His love. You are His daughter, not a disappointment.
When Kyla came to me that day in tears, I was grateful for
the opportunity to assure her that all is not lost on an imperfect low note on
a recorder. I was grateful for a moment to look into her eyes and speak truth.
For many years, I didn’t know that such a moment could be part
of my own story. There were many times when I was sure that I would never experience
freedom from all the standards I had created for myself. But Jesus changed all
of it the day I tossed out that book and came to Him in desperation. He gave me
a glimpse of the better way and I haven’t been the same since.
****
I realize it can be hard to put some of these things into the practicality of every day living. What exactly does it look like to listen at Jesus' feet when I'm just trying to survive each day and raise a family? Later this week, I'll post a copy of the follow-up blog I provided for the MOPS group. Update: You can read the follow-up post here.
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