Martha, Martha

Have you ever identified with a person in the Bible? Well, I have and it wasn’t too hard for me. It’s the queen of hospitality herself, “Martha.”  While that’s not necessarily something to boast about, it has helped me to recognize areas that I need to work on. I struggle with spending time with my Heavenly Father and in His Word. I am so busy with attending to things in this world that I often fail to quiet myself and spend quality time with Him. It's the classic case of my heart is willing (and longs for), but my flesh is weak.  How can I keep turning down the greatest invitation of fellowship that I will ever receive with the most important relationship I will ever have? I deeply desire to grow in intimacy with the One who created me and without whom I can do nothing. In seeing a part of myself in Martha, I am continually convicted by Jesus/Yeshua’s response to her….““Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things, but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”” (Luke 10:41-42 LSB) You know if your name was said twice as a child, you were either in hot water or at minimum seriously out of line.  I do not want to be in either position with My King.  I must do a better job of letting go of the things that pull me away and be intentional about putting Him first.  Knowing myself, I knew I had to create a form of accountability to produce lasting results.  I needed a technique that would overcome my Martha-like nature.  Thus, the idea for Taste and Sea Reflections was born.  Scientific studies suggest that it takes anywhere from 21 to 66 days to form a new habit.  The longer you consistently do it, the more likely the behavior will become automatic.  For years I have had this subtle inkling that I should be writing for The Kingdom, but my compass could not find a sense of direction for where to start. Through The Father’s continual nudging in patience and faithfulness, it finally led me to a point of just surrendering in obedience.  I committed myself to do it without a plan, without details, something very difficult for “Martha.”  But once I did, a path began to reveal itself.  It started with an inner discovery of what is in my heart, “the good part.”  A few years ago, I watched this YouTube tutorial about writing.  I’ll never forget something the guy said that stuck with me.  He said something to the effect of “Finding your niche is easy.  Just write what you can’t stop talking about.”  It made so much sense, but I thought, “could it really be that easy?”  Back then, my mind made all kinds of excuses as to why it couldn’t work…”it’s too simple”…”it won’t attract or hold anyone’s interest.” Once again, I delayed my call to write.  But now, at the moment of surrender, I realize that it’s not about me or anyone else.  It’s about doing it unto The Lord.  This should be our motivation for everything we do.  If I am doing what He is calling me to do, He will bless it no matter how strange or unconventional it may seem.  While Martha may be most known negatively for her overly ambitious attention to detail, she still had a “good part” to her story.  As I began to quiet myself before The Lord to write this reflection, He reminded me of John 11:5.  Suddenly, I saw Martha in a whole new light.  It says “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.”  Jesus/Yeshua LOVED Martha!  Could it be that Jesus/Yeshua wasn’t saying “Martha, Martha” because she was in hot water?  Could it be that He was saying “Martha, Martha,” because He had such a close relationship with her that it was a term of endearment as he softly led her into correction? While there’s no way to know for sure the depths or dynamics surrounding Martha’s relationship with Jesus/Yeshua, what an honor to be one of two women in the bible to have been specifically mentioned to be loved by Him.  Had I not taken the time to seek The Lord and quiet myself to listen for His Voice, I may have never had my eyes opened to see this.  Comparing myself to Martha now takes on a whole new meaning and less conviction.  As I begin this new journey of writing, I pray that it will encourage you to look for ways to go deeper in your intimacy with The Lord.  Get in The Word.  Spend quality time with Him.  It may come easy for some, but it’s required of us all.  Whatever you struggle with in your walk of faith, find what works for you to create discipline and consistency.  The only thing stopping you is YOU.