GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN AND TAKE FIVE!

Ahhhh dear girls! I knew I could grab your attention with this title! Who doesn’t love to hear a command to get out of the kitchen! Now I like to cook but I would rather lay on a bed of nails while undergoing Chinese water torture than clean the kitchen after I cook! Not to leave the guys out, the command could be step away from the lawn mower, weed eater and edger!

You gotta love our girl MARTHA!! She knew JESUS was coming to HER house and she had to uphold her reputation as the hostess with the mostess and provide the ultimate fine dining experience for the Messiah, Savior of the world! Can you just imagine what you would do if Jesus was coming to your house? I know I would be on my hands and knees with a toothbrush, scrubbing my dirty grout off the floor and cleaning my baseboards! I would also have to clean out my closets and drawers because after all HE sees and knows everything!

Then you’ve got Martha’s sister Mary! How can these two be related? She’s always got her nose in the Torah and she practically prays all day either in the temple or in her “prayer closet”! I’m sure Martha would describe her sis as being so heavenly minded she’s no earthly good! Mary Mary’s not contrary! She’s the epitome of a devoted worshiper and follower of Christ!

So the stage is set. MARTHA has been preparing the house for days and has been in the kitchen since 5am! Sweet Mary, being the great sister she was, had been helping Martha in between her reading and praying, but as soon as Jesus showed up, she high tailed it out of the kitchen faster than a Pharisee can find fault in you! Down she goes! Right at the feet of Jesus! She knew she may not get many opportunities like this!

THE SON OF GOD WAS IN THE HOUSE!

Well that didn’t sit well with Martha! She needed Mary back in the kitchen ASAP to watch over the gefilte fish while she prepared and cooked the matzah! Surely Mary knows that for the matzah to be kosher she only has 18 minutes from start to finish! True story! But when Martha complained to Jesus, she was a bit taken back by His response! Luke 10:41,42 Not only did He tell her she was way too stressed out-translation: basket case, but He used her name twice! MARTHA MARTHA!!! Now she’s in good company! God used the double name to address Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Samuel and Jesus also used it for Simon Peter and Saul/Paul right before He spoke something really BIG!  She’s in great company and she better pay careful attention because He’s about to speak wisdom for the ages!

Whaaaaat could be better than having a spotless house and a Food Network worthy meal???? Hmmm…Doing what Mary is doing!

Now the chapter ends right there so we don’t know if Martha had that aha moment, dropped her matzah bowl or balls right then and there, let the gefilte fish burn and nestled in as Jesus spoke golden nuggets of truth and wisdom! Or did she roll her eyes, not letting Jesus see that of course, and scurried back to the kitchen to complete her tasks! After all sis Mary isn’t budging from the feet of Jesus and no one would be able to eat if she doesn’t finish cooking! And Lord knows, God in the flesh had to have sustainous to keep up with His grueling ministry schedule!

There is a third scenario which I really love and one which we should try when we are in those crazy busy times. It’s being a Marytha or Marthy. A combination of Mary and Martha! I can see Martha having that light bulb moment when Jesus called her out on her anxiety and busyness, then calmly going back to her work in the kitchen while meditating on the words of Jesus! Sometimes life pulls us in so many different directions and demands our time, but our attention can still be focused on the Lord! We just have to pull our thoughts away from our tasks and CHOOSE to turn our eyes and our hearts towards Him!

So finally after all this yada yada, here’s the takeaway! There are times we need to be Martha’s or Marty’s (for the guys)! I mean the meals don’t get cooked or the trash taken out or the yard mowed or the laundry done unless we do it! I think I just heard someone mumble that’s what kids are for! 😳 But we can still turn our thoughts to Him as we work! It’s not easy though!

I do think most of us have waaaaaay too much Martha in us and not enough Mary! What percentage would you give yourself measuring Martha to Mary? Some of you may wildly fluctuate depending on the day or season of your life and some feel that twinge of conviction as you realize you are running in the upper 90% of being a modern day Martha/Marty! So now what!

1.Acknowledge you’re Mary deficient!

2.Understand the incredible benefits of being more like Mary!

3.Be intentional about carving out time to sit at the feet of Jesus!

ITS AS EASY AS 1,2,3!!😉

Lets just talk about some of the benefits of spending time with Jesus! And I don’t mean running through our cares, concerns and complaints! I confess that many of my times with Him are spent in a one sided convo with very little listening on my part! I have to be intentional about being still and quiet before Him! You also have to believe that the God Who created heaven and earth and everything in it, longs for you to come into His presence! He’s more accessible than anyone on this earth and He is absolutely wild about you and has so much He wants to teach you and tell you!

There are many doctrines out there that teach that God doesn’t actually speak to His children and that He has already spoken to us through the Bible! But the Word is clear! He does speak to His children and wouldn’t you love to hear what He has to say about you, or a circumstance you’re in or a big decision you have to make? Try this little experiment. Go sit in a quiet place, it’s great if you can play some worship music softly in the background, then say out loud to the Lord “I love you!” Listen for His response! 😊❤️ HE STILL SPEAKS!

 

Oh my goodness precious ones, if you would just get out of the kitchen and take just even 5 minutes or 10 or 30 to clear the noise in your head and just be still before Him, the things He longs to speak to your heart will transform you and bring you unspeakable joy, hope and peace! Yes, your Creator wants to spend time with you! Yes you with all the flaws, faults and shortcomings! Yes you are His beautiful mess and He wants to pour out His unconditional love on you! You are His delight!

He is OUR Mighty Warrior Who heals, saves, protects, redeems and delivers us! He gives us wisdom when we ask, peace in the midst of our storms, joy for our mourning and beauty for ashes! He fights our battles for us and forever lives to intercede for us! He loves us no matter what we’ve done and ALWAYS takes GREAT delight in us! And He rejoices over us with singing! Wow! That thought just makes me giddy! Almighty God sings over each of us! Each song is perfectly composed for us individually and sung with the most amazing love and grace! A love song like no other!❤️

My goodness doesn’t that want to make you bolt from the kitchen to do what dear Mary did? I know the busyness of our lives make this a real battle and of course the enemy will do whatever he can to prevent it, but this time is worth fighting for! Start with just 5 minutes! Just be still, open your eyes, ears and heart! Before long you will hear that beautiful still small voice speak to you and as you continue to sit at His feet, I’m almost sure you will hear Him sing that beautiful love song over you! I can almost hear it now!

Our Most Gracious Lord! It’s so hard to wrap our brains around the fact that You in all your Greatness and Glory, desires and even longs for an intimate relationship with each one of us! Forgive us for not carving out the time to allow you to pour out over us, your love, wisdom, peace, joy, grace and delight! We need you now more than ever in this world where tragedy, chaos, disillusionment and hopelessness are shaking us to the core! But in YOU do we put our hope and our trust! Help us Lord to step away from the noise and set our eyes on You, the only one Who can bring peace in the midst of all this craziness! We commit to being intentional and even protective of our daily time with you! You are so worthy of our time and effort! Thank you for being patient with us! We love you more than we can say! In Jesus matchless and beautiful name! Amen

With ALL my love,

tara