VICTORY Call

I'LL ADMIT IT...I'M A MARTHA

Over burdened, unappreciated, distracted, pulled in too many directions -- yep, that's me. And if truth be told, I'll bet many of you out there are nodding your heads "yes" and thinking "me, too." We all know the story of Mary and Martha, and how Martha wants to do everything to prepare for Jesus and Mary prefers to stay close to Him and hear His words.And my reaction is usually like Martha's - "Jesus, why don't you send someone to help me (like Mary) so I don't have to do this all by myself?"

The pity party begins shortly thereafter - poor me, no one cares, I'm left all alone to handle things. And then Jesus says, "Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things. But one thing is needful; and Mary hath chosen that good part..." (Luke 10:40-42). Substitute my name (or yours) for Martha's and you get the picture.

One of things I learned when I came to serve at America's KESWICK is that there is no shortage of work that needs to be done. I picked up on that very quickly. What has taken me much longer to get is that I don't need to do it all myself. In fact, not only do I not NEED to do it all myself, but God doesn't WANT me to do it all myself. Is that a hard lesson for us Type A personalities to learn? You're not kidding. But I am trying to learn that, in the midst of all the busyness, there is only one thing that helps me to keep focused and that is to draw close to Jesus and sit at His feet.

Without making the time to spend with Him, to hear Him speak to me through His Word, to share my anxious thoughts with Him in prayer, and hear Him remind me to rest in Him and His plans, I cannot make it. Without that, I get cranky, filled with self-pity and generally, hot and bothered.That does not mean that the things I may be doing here at KESWICK, or in my church, or other places, are not good things and needful things, but they are not the most IMPORTANT things.

Guarding my time with Jesus and letting Him minister to me is the best preparation for a busy day. How can I expect to be His servant when I haven't consulted Him on what His plans are for me that day? And sometimes, for me anyway, it also means allowing others to help - sharing the opportunities for service with others, and giving them a chance to be blessed for their efforts.My encouragement for you today, ladies, is to be less like Martha and more like Mary, and SIT at Jesus' feet. Lynn Randall is Director of Human Resources at America's KESWICK and is a collector of many things, including Precious Moments figurines.