One of my greatest struggles in life has been to like who I am. If the world has flaws, I seem to have a world of them. As a result I didn't seem to enjoy the living while being alive. And even today, those feelings will make effort to intrude upon my wonderful life.
Maybe some of you wage war on a similar battlefield?
I think so. I am sure of it. Therefore, I run a few ideas by you which might give you a boost to the point you can be who you are...and like it.
Luke 10:38-42 tells about the personality differences between Martha and Mary. One scrambled in preparation while the other sat at the feet of Jesus and listened. The two women represent the competition and strain within our own individual hearts. Committed to live in this distracting world while desiring to slow down and enjoy are very much who we are and what we are like.
Jesus declares distraction unnecessary. Yet, we believe it is and often offer defensive explanation as to why. However, Jesus is teaching via these sisters an eternally important truth. Less is more.
This battle of liking who we are (and not constantly wishing we were someone else) finds clarification when we can focus. That was Mary's secret from God. Of course Martha disagreed; out-spokenly so. She viewed herself as the responsible and mature one. So Jesus disagreed.
It's interesting that he did not compliment both in that each possessed a wholesome quality. No. To the active one (as far as serving others), Jesus leveled, you are worried and bothered about so many things. Worried and bothered distract. Distractions rob us of liking who we are because we feel behind, overwhelmed, and unappreciatedly obligated.
Mary enjoyed the moment. For so long I struggled with her seeming lazy indifference. Yet, she gains our Lords praise? Yes. She would rather be with him while she had the opportunity. She treasured him over personal responsibilities because she knew how to focus on what matters. Mary wasn't lazy. She was simple.
Simple is desperately needed in our walk. I've learned over the years that God manages this show; not me. I've learned that I can be so mobile upon religion's turf that I may miss the presence of God. Too, I've learned a great secret in saying no to distractions that I might say yes to liking life.
It takes extreme discipline to be simple. When I get distracted, I tend to get down on myself. I'm not doing enough, being enough...I am just not enough...and this depresses me. Simplicity of refusing to live according to interruption's cadence is most freeing as well as enjoyable. Peaceful doesn't equate to being lazy.
Mary enjoyed Jesus. Martha surely loved him but missed out on being with him while he was actually in her house. This is no news; but we spend entirely too much time majoring in minors when it is not necessary. We are the ones, as did Martha, who put mandatory burdens upon ourselves. At these points we don't like being who we are.
One of the most difficult things for me to learn was what Mary already knew.
I learned to say no to well-intentioned opportunity that did not fit my calling. Others can view this negatively; but living to please others is killer law embedded within our own insecurities.
No. Regardless of how appealing ventures were or how ego-building some invitations seemed, I learned to say no when such was the necessary and disciplined response. Just because someone had an idea for me to be involved didn't mean I was a villain for gracefully declining their approach.
Are we to stretch to be productive for God? This will always be His call. For Martha, it was a stretch to sit down and enjoy the moment. Such moments will often challenge each of us. The exciting thing for us is that, due to the nature of the Spirit, more gets done when we offer less.
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