On a typical day during the Christmas season, my thoughts go something like this..."address Christmas cards, get teacher gifts, finish shopping, make goodies for neighbors, do laundry, clean out Ellie's closet, drop off clothes at Katy Christian Ministries, wrap gifts, decide Christmas menu, blah, blah, blah..." My blood pressure is on the rise. My mind begins to spin. I am overwhelmed. Then, through no effort of my own, I will begin to hear another voice in my head interjecting thoughts like this..."be still...I can do all things through Christ...seek first the kingdom of God...cast all your cares upon Him..." In the hurriedness of life I sense the Holy Spirit drawing me back to what is true, to what matters most.
I could be a poster child for what I call the "Martha, Martha Syndrome". You know the story in John 10, about Jesus coming to Mary and Martha's house. Martha is taking care of all the preparations while Mary, selfishly, sits at Jesus' feet. Martha whines to Jesus to make Mary get up and help her. Jesus not only says her name once but twice! I would not want Jesus saying my name twice. He means business. He says a line that I will forever remember, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her." OUCH! Do you read this as personally as I do? It could easily read, "Lisa, Lisa".
Why would Jesus reprimand poor sweet Martha? She invited them in for a meal after all. These men have to eat, don't they? Is the food going to fix itself? Who will do it if she doesn't? How much can you ask of this selfless, giving woman? Here are some thoughts to ponder:
Could it be that Martha was more concerned about putting on a good party versus genuinely caring for her guests? Could it be that her busyness was driving her to distraction from engaging with Jesus? Was she possibly trying to earn Jesus' approval rather than just enjoying His presence? The scary, yet comforting thing about this story is that Jesus knows our hearts. He may be the only one who truly knows us. Jesus knew Martha's motives and loved her completely. If He corrected her then you can rest assured she needed correction. Jesus knew Martha her whole life even though He'd just met her face to face. He could see deeply into her soul, her thoughts, and her desires - and her needs.
He knew about Martha like he knows about me, that we need to work at what matters most or we'll miss the greatest gift of all. It's easy to stay busy. It's easy to flutter around doing good. (Sometimes, I think we are afraid of what might happen if we were to actually be still and fellowship with God. That is a topic for another time!) There are many good things that need doing. We, as Christians, are called to serve. This is all true. But Jesus brings us back in these verses to what matters most. If we are too busy to sit still in His presence then we are too busy and that is not what He had in mind when He called us to Christian service.
What about you? In a crazy season with so many responsibilitites, can you muster the self-discipline to sit still? I dare you (as I dare myself) to put at the top of your to do list: Be still in God's presence. Get alone somewhere in your home or car or bathroom stall at the mall! Talk to Him, listen to Him, praise Him.
At the end of the holiday there are lots of empty boxes, torn wrapping paper, more room in the fridge and less room in the stretchy pants. All of these things come and then go again. At the end of the day, will this be the full extent of your Christmas or will you have something more? Will you have chosen what is better and what cannot be taken away - a closer relationship with Jesus?
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