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| Who's Gonna Feed the Kids While I Sit at Jesus Feet? by Wendy Wiebe "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "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." Luke 10:41 "Instead it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." 1 Peter 3:4 It's been a tough day. You were late getting off to work. The car's almost out of gas. You have no clue what to have for dinner, and you're too tired to eat it anyway. Stopping at the grocery store to pick up some kind of food to eat is a disaster. The checkout lines are long and the checkers are slow and tired. Finally you get home and kick off your shoes, only to be greeted with starving whining children. You throw the food on the stove, turning the burner on high to cook it faster for the cranky children. The phone rings, the dog barks, the house is a mess, the laundry basket is overflowing....the children are crying and bickering. Are you supposed to have a quiet and gently spirit? You probably don't even want one!!! Who's gonna feed the kids while I sit at Jesus feet? There's a bit of Mary and Martha in each of us. I wish I could be more lik Mary but my Martha side keeps sticking out! Martha is the choleric one. She has to control everything, and she likes to take charge. She is valuable in work because she can accomplish more than anyone else and she's usually right! But she has weaknesses too. She's often bossy, domineering, insensitive and impatient. She is usually unwilling to delegate or to give credit to others. On the other hand Mary would be identified as the Peaceful Phlegmatic. Mary likes to avoid conflict and keep the peace. She has a balance in life and an even disposition, and a pleasing personality. She is valuable in work because she cooperates and is a calming influence. She keeps peace, mediates and solves problems. However she will have a hard time making decisions, lackes enthusiasm and energy. I'll admit I struggle between my Martha sid and my Mary side. Martha nags at me to keep my house spotless each day; and Mary says gently, "Leave the housework, take time to pray." Martha is concerned with what the neighbours think if they dropped in and found dirty dishes stacked in the sink. While Mary chides, "there's a friend who's lonely, I must go see." How can we so order our days so that Martha might serve and Mary might praise? We need a balanced life. How can we have the quiet and gentle spirit of Mary in a world of Martha? Work. Pick up the toys. Finances. Pay the bills. Laundry. Clean the house. Wash the car. Wash the dishes. Mow the grass. Shovel the snow. Fix the meals. Crying kids. Stress. CONFUSION!!! It's not God who brings the confusion! It's our own mismanagement of time and lack of organization. We must learn to PLAN to eliminate the stress in our life. The woman at the beginning might have avoided such chaos by planning ahead. Preparing make ahead freezer meals, getting gas in the car before it reached empty, and having a quick light snack on hand for the children to ward off those nerve wracking tears. The quiet spirit comes as we plan to eliminate the stress in our life. We need to sit at Jesus feet! Oh yes! But Martha has a point too. Who is going to feed the kids? If we plan ahead and are organized it will be easier to keep that meek and gentle spirit as we minister to our families and to others. We must learn to slow down and to refocus our goals. |
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