Rescue Me!

As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. 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.”

But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:38-42

     We are a busy bunch, aren't we?  I am guilty of filling my calendar with appointments and activities to the point that I become exhausted, drained, and irritated.  I also feel guilty when I can't be everywhere every time to help everyone.  But God...

     You see, nowhere in Scripture does God tell us to work ourselves into exhaustion!  Not even when doing "good work."  Paul tells us that we should not grow weary of doing good, and I had always taken that to mean I should always be busy doing SOMETHING good.  But when I get tired (my bride can attest to this) I get.....how can I put this......testy.  But God has shown me in the past the busy-ness will do more damage than good.  Each of us MUST take time for ourselves!

     In today's passage, Martha is bustling around getting the house and meal ready.  All these are good things!  She is busy doing good works.  But notice that she gets irritated that Mary is taking time to sit at the feet of Jesus to learn and relax.  Jesus reminds Martha that being busy drowns out the voice of the Savior and takes our focus OFF of what is important!  

     One of the things I learned in the Army was a very simple lesson: "If you want to help rescue others, start with yourself!"  Take care of you so you can take care of others!  Let's face it, Jesus took time away from His ministry to recover. God is all powerful and can do everything AND even God took a day to rest, so who are we to say we can do better.

     Therefore, while I am still more than willing to help and minister, I will be taking time to recover and rest too (away from the phone and away from the appointment calendar).  How about you?