Being a Mary in a Martha World

I wanted Campbell's first birthday party to be perfect. After researching and then planning exactly how I wanted it to look, I spent weeks hand-making the decorations and organizing the details of the menu and centerpieces. The night before the party, I went to our church fellowship hall to begin getting everything in place so that I could "relax" with my family on Saturday morning.

Is that not hilarious?!?!?! I thought I was going to RELAX!!

Before I knew it guests began to arrive and I was trying my best to make sure everyone had what they needed, that food trays were filled, and that all the children were playing together in a drama-free fashion. I'm sure I was trying to keep an "I'm-cool-as-a-cucumber" smile on my face, but I distinctly remember feeling like I was going to physically fall over at any moment. As the party ended, I made sure all the children took their meticulously thought out and prepared party favors and then took a deep breath. Now it was time to clean. Lord have mercy.

"Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me." And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her." Luke 10:38-42

With every fiber of my being, I can completely understand Martha. After all, she was the hostess. She wanted things to be perfect. They needed to be perfect. Of course she wanted to sit down and just relax with Jesus.......I mean, why wouldn't she?? But how could she possibly just sit down before everything was prepared and ready for their time spent together? I can picture her looking over at Mary, rolling her eyes along the way, wondering why no one else ever helps with the details.........they just sit around and enjoy them. While I can identify with Martha, I desperately want to personify Mary. That chick knew what she was doing. She set up camp right at the feet of Jesus. She was with Jesus. She knew there was absolutely nothing else in the world that could be more important than soaking up the sound of every breath He took. It didn't matter that the chores were not finished before He arrived, or that her peripheral vision allowed her to see Martha giving her the stink-eye with every huff she took. She was not going to be distracted. She was confident in what mattered. She was focused on the One that deserved her attention.

When I sit and think about Campbell's birthday party, I am heartbroken that I do not have many memories spent with her. Just like Martha, I spent all of my energy and time on details that don't mean a thing today. The fact is, we live in a Martha world and we are surrounded by stink-eyes and huffs that are doing everything in their power to demand our attention. I want to be Mary. I want to sit confident at the feet of Jesus, soaking up His every breath. I choose to not be persuaded or manipulated by the pressures around me, but instead, to sit so close to Him that I can clearly hear His voice in the midst of the noise. I choose to focus on what is important............on Him.............and on what He is telling me to do.

Lord, please help me to be a Mary in a Martha world.