Learning To Be More Mary Than Martha

“But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”41 But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! 42 There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”—Luke 10:40-42 (NLT)

As I read Luke 10, I definitely relate to Martha. I would have been right there with her in the kitchen. She was so busy serving, she missed out on sitting and listening to the Lord. Mary chose to spend time in the presence of Jesus. When we make this same choice, it can’t ever be taken from us. Time with Jesus is eternal and will outlast us.

I am that person that gets all her wash done the day she gets home from a trip. I know I need to be able to dump all my dirty clothes in the laundry room and deal with it another day, but that is not how I am wired. I have a hard time sleeping when I all I can think about is what I need to do the next day. That isn’t from God. He wants me to relax and go to bed and tackle it the next day.

My feelings of being overwhelmed are self-inflicted. No doubt, I can be the Martha in Luke 10:40-42. Where God has been growing me, is spending time with Jesus. While I might not be able to put off my wash until another day, I am able to say, no to things that keep me from my morning quiet time. This is my time to ask God to guide my day. It all falls in place when I do this. God blesses me with peace, joy and rest when I let Him direct the steps at the beginning of my day. God can’t bless what I don’t submit to Him.

I am thankful for my season in life as an empty nester. It has been a time of growth for me. God has blessed me with uninterrupted morning quiet time. I have more time to myself to focus on Jesus to let Him use me in bigger ways.

This wasn’t the case when I was a full-time mom making breakfast and packing lunches. I would get to the carpool line early so I could work on my Bible study. Because of that time in my life, I know what a gift it is to be able to have this alone time with my Heavenly Father. It makes me a better wife, mom and grandmother.

As busy as my day may be, I have learned to be a Mary at the start of it. Rather than lay in bed an extra hour, I get up, pour some coffee, sit in my favorite chair, meditate on God’s Word and spend some time in prayer. If I don’t take the needed time to be in God’s Word, I can’t be refueled. I also can’t grow in Christ if I am not listening and applying scripture in my daily life.

God wants us to serve Him, but His greater desire is for us to spend time with Him. We can’t effectively be a disciple for Christ unless we have personal communion with Him. With technology, there are many different ways we can connect with God throughout our day. We can listen to praise and worship music, a sermon or podcast. What are some ways you do this?

Father God,

Forgive me when I start my day without You. I ask for You to carve out alone time in Your Presence. I know it anchors me as well as gives me the needed peace to handle whatever the day may hold. Help me to keep my mind focused on You throughout my day. Thank You for showing me how to live a life more like Mary. I lift those up to You who are struggling in this area of their life. Reveal to them how they can spend more time communing with You. I pray these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.

June Verse

“I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.”—Psalm 119:15 (ESV)

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Honoring Our Military

“These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”—John 16:33 (NASB)

In the United States, today is Memorial Day. It is day we honor our military men and women who have died while serving our country. It is a day we pay tribute for all U.S. Veterans who have sacrificed their lives for Americans. We are the land of the free because of them.

I have been home for a week after some much-needed girl time with a friend of mine who lives in Destin, Florida. We met in 1998 when she moved from Florida to Texas to get her master’s degree in Elementary Education. Her move from Florida was due to her husband, Air Force Sgt. Dee Campbell’s death.  He was killed with 18 of his Air Force comrades in the 1996 Khobar Towers terrorist bombing in Saudi Arabia. 

Soon after she arrived in Arlington, she visited an Episcopalian church, where I had been leading and facilitating a support group for younger widows/ers. Of course, the church connected the two of us. We had the common bond of having husbands tragically die at such a young age. We soon became friends and were socializing together. My daughter who was 3 at the time we met, loved “Mawee.”

Marie was quite involved with an organization called TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors) It is nonprofit organization that provides resources for those grieving the death of their loved one who was in the military or a veteran. Eventually she became a full-time employee for them and moved to Washington, DC.

Once she moved, other than through social media, we weren’t in contact with each other. Life got busy for both of us. Her with her new career and me being a full-time mom taking care of my family. Last year, we reconnected when she invited me to visit her in Florida. Neither of us were sure if it would be awkward or not as it had been over 10 years since we had last seen each other.

Obviously, it wasn’t, or I wouldn’t have gone to see her last week. It was as if there hadn’t been all those years between us. It was so much fun reminiscing with her. We even had a cardinal visit us on her balcony while we were together. A sign for both of us that God is near as well as how God brought us together.

So, today, I honor her husband, Dee who was killed in that unfathomable terrorist attack as well as all the other fallen soldiers who have sacrificed their lives for us protecting our country. We also remember the many lives lost once back home due to PTSD.

If you have any friends or family in a branch of the military, I encourage you to reach out to them to let them know you are thankful for their service not just today, but any day you think about them. Or, if you know someone who had a military loved one or veteran die, let them know they are on your mind. Maybe even include an encouraging scripture to go along with it. It is a small way to encourage and share the love of Jesus with them.

Father God,

 Thank You for all of the fallen soldiers who gave their life to defend our country. As many of us our celebrating with our friends, I lift those up who grieve for their loved ones who have died from their military service. I pray for those struggling with PTSD or mental illness. Lead them to organizations to help them heal. Guide their loved ones on how to best support them. I praise You for giving us the Ultimate Sacrifice, Your Son, Jesus, who died on the cross so that His children would receive eternal life. I pray these things in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

May Verse

I have chosen Proverbs 17:22 as my verse for the month as a reminder to find the joy in all things.

“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.”—Proverbs 17:22

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Death Is Not the End

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;”—John 11:25

Jesus tells us in John 11:25, that our physical death is not the end for us. People who aren’t Christians have a hard time understanding this. Especially every Easter when we celebrate our Risen Savior. Yesterday, Christians around the world either publicly or privately celebrated the ultimate gift of love and mercy. God’s one and only Son, Jesus, died for our sins. Three days later He rose again from the grave. His death and resurrection are what give us hope that one day we will get to spend eternity with Him.

While we may be mocked or even called “delusional” for believing this, if it makes us better people, what is so wrong about Christians aspiring to live a life like Jesus? If we are able to make this world a better place living a Christ centered life serving Him, knowing the day we die might be a physical death but not a spiritual one, why persecute us for this?

Either you believe the Easter Story of Christ’s sacrifice to die on the cross for our sins or you don’t.  Acceptance or rejection are the two options. As a Christ follower, I want to share the hope and love of Jesus to those who don’t know Him. It is what we are all called to do. Jesus is alive within us. He reigns in our hearts. My peace and joy come from a Spirt-filled heart devoted to the Lord. We only get one life to live. How are we going to live it? Living in step with the Spirit leads to a fruitful life. The enemy wants to pull us away from God’s plan for us, but faith alone is what qualifies us to be used by God.

Do you know someone who needs to hear the hope of spending eternity with Jesus? How can you share the Gospel with them in a loving and nonthreatening way? We tell others about the Gospel because they need access to the knowledge of who God is. If we ask, God will lead us to ears to hear it and our mouths to speak the right words.

Father God,

Thank You that physical death is not the end for Your children. Transform me into the likeness of Your Son. I want to reflect Your glory to those who don’t know You. Forgive me when I take for granted that I live in a place where I can freely worship You as well as share my faith with those You put in my pathway. I lift those up to You who are being persecuted for their faith. Put a protective shield around them as they share the Gospel in areas where they can be imprisoned or put to death for their boldness. I ask for You to use me this week to shine the Light of Christ into someone’s dark day. I pray these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.

 April Verse

Jesus died on the cross for every one of us so that we would die to our sins and live a God honoring life. Praise God by His wounds that we are healed!

“He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.”—1 Peter 2:24 (NLT)

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