I am a Martha.

"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. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.'”

{Luke 10:38-42}

Tonight, Nancy led myself and some other SAO sister's in a Bible study on Mary and Martha. Upon reading this particular passage, I realized that I am totally a Martha. In the past, it has been easy for me to read this story and say, "What the heck, Martha? That's JESUS! Why would you be running around the house when you could be spending time with JESUSSSS?!?!" Well, loves, insert the realization of hypocrisy here. When I had a house full of company two weekend ago, I spent almost the entire time (even when the movie was on) running back and forth between the kitchen, the living room, and my bedroom making sure that everyone had something to drink, snacks, pillows, blankets... the whole shoot and match. What I sacrificed was the ability to actually spend quality time with them because I was so preoccupied in making sure everyone was comfortable and that everything was still in order.

Now, I realize that this is a very secular instance, but bear with me. Nancy challenged us to take this passage and also apply it to our physical selves, the temple which houses the Holy Spirit. She talked about how Martha had not been prepared for having Jesus come into her house (which could have been for several reasons, but again, just tole with me....), and how that kept her from being able to spend time with and learn from Jesus. If we are to have quality time with God, we must prepare our hearts for it. We cannot be consumed with task lists or petty chores. If our focus is to be solely on the Lord, then we need to abandon the stresses and to-dos of our lives. Ultimately, what matters is God. What we need is Him. He is what is best for us. I am a Martha. I get caught up in the step-by-step process of my days and the work that needs to be done, often times neglecting that time that could be spent with my Father. He is right there, waiting for me to come to Him; He never leaves. But He also doesn't force Himself upon me, which means I need to take responsibility for myself. I cannot grow if I contribute nothing. Self, be more like Mary. Though it will be challenging, and likely take time, it is not impossible. After all, with God, all things are possible!

Run-down:

• Dance classes.
• Marley burn on the tops of my feet, ftw!
• I love feeling like a dancer again :)
• One of my classmates told me she couldn't tell I hadn't taken a class in over a year! Yay!
• Maybe I'm not sub-par after all!
• Lunch with Kristina.
• Mailed a package :)
• SAO PR meeting.
• Bible Study.

• Dinner with Nancy :)
• Once Upon a Time (after I proactively completed my science homework three days early)!
• Now I'm all caught up!

Goodnight, loves!