Scripture Reference: Luke 10:40-42
One time during prayer, I prayed that God would help me to be a better a wife to Will, and then I prayed about being a better mother to Caleb, and I paused and said Lord help me a better everything to everyone else. Then I paused again. In that moment of silence, the Holy Spirit remindedme of Mary and Martha. These sisters are not to be compared or contrasted as one being better than the other, but we are to see two sides of the same coin and grow in our understanding of worship and service.
In Luke 10: 40-42, Martha was busy serving others. More than likely, she was cleaning, preparing food, and engaging her visitors. Mary was at the feet of Jesus. Because Martha was getting overwhelmed with her responsibilities, she asked Jesus for help. Like Martha, I prayed for Jesus to help me do better fulfilling all of the roles in my life. We should find comfort in knowing that when we feel distracted or overwhelmed by our responsibilities, we can bring them to Jesus.
He responds by acknowledging Martha’s struggle. She is worried and bothered by so many things. Jesus cares that we are stressed, and that we are trying to do everything in our ability to be all things to all people. Being active in service isn’t necessarily bad. The problem is when we do all of those things while neglecting the good part. We cannot neglect worship in our service. These two spiritual disciplines are interconnected. We serve out of a heart of worship.
Martha served Jesus and the disciples not only that day, but other times throughout the Gospels. After witnessing her own brother Lazarus resurrected from the dead, she served supper for them (John 12:2). She is counted among the women who went to Jesus tomb to preserve His body only to be greeted by angels proclaiming Christ’s resurrection (Luke 24:1-10). Martha encountered Christ and witnessed miracles while serving, so we shouldn’t conclude that service is the enemy. Our service should be an extension of our time at the feet of Jesus.
May we take the time to rest at His feet so that we will have the heart of worship in our service.
-Sheyonna Watson