Skip to main content

Martha or Mary

Image
By Home with Tracy
Lately I have had to ask myself if I am a Martha or a Mary? Am I so busy trying to serve that I am not listening to what Jesus wants me to hear?

Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me." And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her." Luke 10:38-42

I have been known to say that people need to "step-up" and serve. If I see a need that is not being met, I feel that it is my responsibility to step-up and do it. Do I always ask Jesus first if it is what He wants me to do. No! I figure I am serving and doing work for Him, so I must be doing the right thing.

In the past few months, when I have slowed down enough to listen, God has told me that I am being a Martha. I am not spending time with Him like I should. I am deciding things on my own. I have a huge heart for preschoolers and teaching them about the Word of God. So, if I see a need, I jump right in. I don't think to ask because, after all, I am teaching children about their Heavenly Father. How could that be wrong? It is wrong because I am not asking God first if I am the one He wants to do it. I am not asking Him if it is what He wants me to do with my time. I am not asking Him if this is the way He wants me to serve. I am not asking Him if this is the work He has for me to do. I don't consider what God wants when I decide where to serve.

Did you catch that, "I" decide where to serve. Although my whole heart is in teaching and I am teaching about our Heavenly Father, it is not God who is putting me there, it is me. A few months back I was asked to consider going on a missions trip to Romania this past July. I said yes. I thought that God was saying yes, but the more time I spend with Him, I realize it was me saying yes, not Him. I was so frustrated when it didn't work out. I was embarrassed because I had told the whole congregation that I was going to go. It took me awhile to realize that I didn't really ask God, I just saw a need and decided to step-up and do it. It was a hard lesson to learn, but I needed to learn it.

It is my prayer that I will spend more time sitting at Jesus' feet and listening to Him and what plans He has for me. It is my prayer that I will spend less time "stepping-up" when He is not telling me to. It is my prayer that God will soften my heart to His will.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

An Update on Our Adoption Journey

By Home with Tracy
We have come to the decision to stop the adoption process of Lucas. It was not a decision that we came to quickly. It was not an easy decision. It was a decision that breaks the heart of each one of us in our family. We have shed many tears and I am sure we will shed many more. Our children still include him in their prayers every night and talk about him often. To us, he was already a member of our family. There are many factors that we took into consideration before making this decision. We are all hurting and feeling the loss of this precious little boy. We already had Lucas in our home and our hearts. I cry when I look at his bed that we already had made for him, just waiting for him to come home so we could tuck him in. Even though we feel this is the right decision, there is a big part of me that is still hoping and praying for a miracle to happen so we can bring him home. I am not going to go into great detail about the specifics. If you would like to know more, please...
2 comments
Read more

Romania... are you sure?

By
A few weeks back I received a call from one of our church members telling me that God put my name on his heart during his prayer time that morning and he wanted me to pray about going to Romania. WHAT??? I can't go to Romania, I have 4 children, I can't leave them for a week! I, of course, did not say this to him, I instead said that I would pray about it. Immediately I sent my husband an email telling him about the phone call. He instantly sent me a message back asking what we had to do to make it happen. Wait a minute....he does realize the kids aren't going with me, doesn't he? That evening we were sitting with our children looking at the globe. We showed them where they were born and where they live now. Suddenly, my youngest daughter spins the globe, points her little finger and says "where is that". Of all places, she pointed to Romania. I have often told friends that I need a postcard of clarity from God. I think that was definitely a postcard in the fo...
Post a Comment
Read more

Buying Meat in Bulk - Saving our family money

By Home with Tracy
I have written about my experience with Zaycon Fresh previously, but I wanted to share with you a little more. We recently picked up our order of ground beef. This is my first experience purchasing the ground beef and just like everything else I have purchased from Zaycon Fresh in the past, I was very pleased. Here is the description of Zaycon Fresh's ground beef: Comes fresh, never frozen! The beef cattle have a grass diet which is supplemented by grain after they reach approximately 700 pounds. 100% grown in the USA. There are no chemicals, additives or water added to meat during processing. Processed at a USDA-inspected, state-of-the-art plant employing strict operating protocols (including HACCP) and the highest in food-safety standards. Prior to processing, inspectors from the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service randomly sample cattle under a monitoring plan and perform testing for antibiotic residues. USDA nutrition labeling standards defines "extra ...
Post a Comment
Read more