The greatest competitor of devotion to Jesus is service for Him.
~Oswald Chambers
Our world has been in the midst of a pandemic. This has not only affected certain people in certain places at certain times, but everyone around the world has had their lives affected by the Coronavirus in one way or another, everyone is tired and running on empty. I saw a post on social media recently that went something like this - “I used to think that if I had more time at home, my house would be clean, but nah; that wasn’t the problem!” How many of you can relate? I see hands up all over the place!
Being in the midst of a pandemic and all the pivoting that we’ve had to do as women clergy has been a source of exhaustion for so many. Normally we go through the church calendar and have busy seasons such as Christmas and Easter that can be tiring, but then comes a reprieve and we get ourselves ready for the next push: not to say that these seasons aren’t chock full of blessings and wonderful things, but they are tiring. Add a year (almost two) of Covid behind us, stretching into the who knows how far into the future, and it feels heavy. Have you taken any time in the midst of all that is going on and checked in on yourself?
A Personal Check In
Take time right now and listen to your body for a moment. How are your emotions? Are they in check where they should be—do you laugh at things that are funny and mourn deeply over things that are heartbreaking? Do you find small irritants something you can dismiss and deal head on with the larger things that irritate you so they don’t build up?
How about physically? Are you generally well—sleeping and eating well and in good rhythm, getting enough exercise and fresh air or are you feeling offish, eating things you know you shouldn’t, not resting well and spending too much time indoors and/or binge watching tv for days and weeks on end?
How about spiritually? Are you spending time at the feet of Jesus for your own personal wellbeing or are you spending time with Him so you know what to preach on Sunday or teach in your small group? Are your prayers deep and meaningful or are they shallow and quick? Are you spending time with Him, just to sit in His presence or are there other things taking your time?
We are multifaceted beings: beings. As women, (not to mention as women leaders, teachers, and preachers) we spend so much time taking care of everyone else, that sometimes we do not stop and check in on ourselves. If you simply skimmed through the above questions, I encourage you to go back and examine yourself through an honest lens: not through the rose coloured glasses of what you want it to look like or what it would look like in a perfect world, but truly take the time to look at the reality of your life right here and right now.
See, we are beings, yet we spend most of our time doing: doing this and that, doing for this person and that person, doing what we think we should, when we think we should and for who we think we should. Sometimes—and this is even more exhausting—we do what we think others think we should be doing, trying to fit in the box we think they think we fit in.
Let’s get really honest. When was the last time you sat at the feet of Jesus to simply delight in Him; not on behalf of yourself or someone else, but simply to delight in Him? When was the last time you sat at the feet of Jesus to allow time for Him to delight in you? Yes, I said it but do you believe it? He wants to delight in you. Preacher sister, I hope that brings a smile to your face and warmth in your heart, and truth resonating in your spirit. Jesus delights in you.
I know you’re busy: everyone’s busy all the time. Church, work, school, zoom meetings, kids, husbands, housework, laundry, dishes—unending stuff—we’re all busy choosing what we will do. There are things that must be done and—brace yourself for this one—there are things that can be left undone or at least left for a bit.
We all have things on our schedules we can flex if we choose to. Learning which ones that can be discarded or shifted is of great importance. We have a responsibility for our own wellbeing (note that: being not doing) to make time in our schedules to do those things that fill us and these are non-negotiable and non-movable items if we are to stay healthy. We can settle for good or we can choose what is better. It’s our choice.
Two Women - Two Ways
I love the accounts in the Bible that show us contrasting personalities and help us to see things from differing points of view. In the book of Luke, we see two sisters with very different personalities having very different priorities. Both of them are demonstrating their love for Jesus, but they do it in very different ways.
One of the sisters, Martha, is busy doing everything she possibly can to serve Jesus when He arrives at her home to make His time with them comfortable. She is a servant-hearted woman, full of hospitality. It probably fills her heart to overflowing to provide for the physical needs of others.
Then there is the other sister, Mary. She simply sits: sits at the feet of Jesus, hanging on every word His voice forms. Her love for Him is so great that she can’t get enough being in His presence and listening to Him. Her heart and passion lead her to stay right where she is rather than help her sister serve His physical needs.
Let’s peek into the Scripture account to see what exactly is happening:
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.
But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:38-42 NIV
Martha opened their home to Jesus: this is actually the home of Martha, Mary, and their brother Lazarus. Martha is an amazing hostess who is definitely gifted in the art of hospitality. She works tirelessly to be sure that Jesus is well taken care of; making preparations for guests and serving them is a tradition in her culture. She bustles about getting things ready, but in her heart she’s resentful that she’s left to do all the preparation alone. She works away, bustling around in the kitchen until she can’t stand it anymore. She waits until she is on the verge of an explosion then runs to Jesus complaining that she must do all the work on her own.
Let’s be honest, we put abundantly more pressure on ourselves to perform: whether it is at work getting programs perfected and Sunday morning services to flow without a slight hiccup, videos and online services to be flawless, or when we’re at home: making people comfortable whenever they arrive and during their stay. We want the food to be just right, the atmosphere to speak to whatever we are trying to accomplish in making others comfortable, and for everything to be perfect. In doing so, we can exhaust ourselves to the point of not being able to enjoy the experience of the moments we are in or the company of those we are with.
Good or Better?
What Martha was doing was good: making a comfortable place for Jesus to visit and preparing food for Him to eat while He was with them, but Jesus points out to her that Mary chose what was better: spending time at His feet. Spending time in His presence was the better choice: not doing, but being. This mattered, this was the better thing to do. This IS the better thing to do.
We can get so busy doing good that we get blinded to what is better. In our culture and time, people wear busyness as a badge of honour. It seems that people think that if you’re not busy, then you must be lazy. This is FALSE: a lie straight out of the pit of hell. Martha’s busyness worked her into a frenzy and she began complaining about her sister’s lack of care and concern. Martha was fixated on her own comfort in the moment, rather than Jesus’.
Think about your own work for a moment: whether a job in the secular world or a job in the church, how are you doing with it? Are you finding that you are comparing your work to other people’s work? Are you being reasonable in your expectations of yourself and others? Are you taking time to spend in the presence of Jesus—just to spend time with Him or is there always an agenda and an alarm so you can get on to the next thing?
“Women are programmed from a very young age to be doers. If we aren’t being productive, we sometimes feel useless which can be programmed in us from our childhood. Remember, this is the world’s view, not God’s view. In God’s economy, we are told to rest - Jesus says in Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest,” (ESV). Being busy is not necessarily the best use of our time.”
(Gidney, p. 42).
You Are Enough!
Maybe you need someone to tell you that it’s okay to rest, maybe you need to deprogram the voices that say that you are not enough unless _______________. Let me tell you dear one, you are enough: you are precious, you are a daughter of the King. If you never do another thing in this world, you are loved and treasured by God simply for being you. There is nothing you can do to make Him love you more, nothing you can accomplish that will give you access to more of Jesus. Come, come to Jesus. Lay down in His presence and delight in Him. Stay in His presence that He may delight in you.
Now, You have a choice to make. You can keep running, keep chasing, keep burning the candle at both ends, keep trying to prove you are worthy or you can come aside and rest awhile. You can sit at the feet of Jesus and just be still. You can lay your head down and leave everything in His hands and fill up at the fountain.
Oh, to sit at the feet of Jesus and delight in Him, with no agenda, no schedule, no expectations. Just be. This, dear one, is what we are called to do. Come to Jesus and be filled. You can choose right now. Will you choose the good or the better? Why not take time right now even if it’s five minutes and sit at the feet of Jesus, delighting in Him?
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