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A little less Martha…
When we think of Martha, we think of the perfect hostess who can make a haute couture bridal gown out of 800 count Egyptian cotton sheets. I’m speaking, of course, of the mogul Ms. Martha Stewart.
But do you know about the other Martha?
Way before Martha Stewart was born, there was a gal that was a bit of a control freak in the home, too. I’ll sum up for those of you that don’t want to pull out The Bible… Luke tells a tale of two sisters. One who is busy being busy busy busy. The other sister, Mary (sure were lots of Maries in the Bible, huh?) is sitting at Jesus’ feet listening to His teachings and just being in his presence. Martha gets ticked off and goes to complain to Jesus. Jesus is like, “Martha, Martha, Martha… you don’t get it!” (or something to that effect.)
It’s very easy to get too busy with our busy work and sometimes we forget to unplug. We forget to be still… to be with God (or if you prefer The Universe, which was created by God, but whatever…). Henry David Thoreau once said:
When we are unhurried and wise, we perceive that only great and worthy things have any permanent and absolute existence, that petty fears and petty pleasures are but the shadow of the reality.
For many years, I was Martha. Then I broke my leg and you know what? That will stop the hurrying real quick! The only thing I could control was the remote, and even that got lost more times than I can recall. I had a lot of time to ponder what was worthy and what was petty. For the last five years, I’ve been swinging my pendulum over to the Mary side. Now that I’ve been sitting semi-quietly at God’s feet, I’m confident it’s time to put both of those strengths together. I know I can’t control life, but is time to get up and go forth confidently in the direction of my dreams… (love that Henry).
Nothing like a New Year to get’cha goin’ huh?
What about you? Where are you on the pendulum? What are your dreams for 2009?
…
Tomorrow: Change Part III: Magic 8 Ball Resolutions!
6 comments:
Oh, I'm so Martha despite my deepest desires not to be. I have a feeling this is going to be more of a Mary kind of year for me b/c I've come to a crossroad and haven't figured out which direction to go. I think I'd better sit and rest for a while with the One who knows me better than myself.
This is really thought provoking. I think women who are driven (myself included) tend to do just that...drive through life at break-neck speed and not notice the beauty and peace that is there for the taking/enjoying. This year, I'll be more Mary.
I wanna be a Mary, but am a total Martha. How'd you break your leg? I need to try it as a intervention technique.
Totally unrelated but,in case you missed the tweet, I have nominated you for a Lemonade Blog award.
My personality is Martha, Martha, Martha. It is only through the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit and God knocking me on my arse this year that I am allowing Him to infuse some Mary in my soul for balance.
I am like you, i swing back and forth between Mary and Martha! especially at work, although right now i have chilled and am becoming more of a Martha( for my sanity's sake!)at home i am learning to become More of a Martha there also.. so, i guess i'm just a work in progress!:)
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