WOW! It’s been a few minutes since I’ve last written. Lots of life has been happening!
I passed the Bar exam, I got my law license, I got a promotion at work, I got preapproved for a mortgage, started looking at properties, I adopted a kitten, I had a celebration with family and friends to beautifully turn the page on a wonderful, long, and tedious past several years as I made my way through law school.
I’ve always been a person who is intentional about experiencing life...as it’s happening -- as it unfolds. Sometimes, that means fully confronting terrifying circumstances or emotionally draining situations or uncomfortable conversations. BUT that also includes times of excitement, joy, fellowship, and blessing.
Which means: don’t count on me to take photos during birthdays, vacations, weddings, graduations, etc. LOL!
For example, last year I took a long weekend trip to Michigan to celebrate the wedding of one of my dear college roommates. It was several days of meals, chats, happy hours, and dancing with many friends, both old and new. I got home and my mom asked me, “OH! Wasn’t it great to be there with everyone?! I want to see pictures of you and [so-and-so]!” With disappointment, I only had one photo to share and it was taken by someone else who I quickly texted to send me the picture.
Not to puff myself up, but I tend to be on the Mary side of the daily tasks paradigm, especially when at events or on a relaxing vacation. Although, my mother knows I am ever-capable of going “Full Martha” when I am taking care of people I love.
The Mary & Martha psychological and spiritual tug-of-war has plagued generations across millennia. Luke 10:38-42. How do we have a Mary heart in a Martha world?
One thing I have realized over the last few weeks is: being aware of God’s goodness, provision, and blessing, and listening to Him speak over our lives is a witness to our pursuit of a “Mary heart”. So often I overthink the simplicity of Mary & Martha. So often I am afraid I have over-spiritualized the mundane. That could not be further from the truth! Sure, if we pray to Jesus for green lights all the way to work because we overslept due to our own choice of staying up late bingeing Ted Lasso, and we happen to get all green light during our over-the-speed-limit commute... that may be over-spiritualizing the situation.
Just over the weekend, I was wrestling with whether to put an offer in on a home. I kept thinking, Okay. This price/offer is doable; it’s within my budget, my tithing will not be sacrificed, and I can still chip away at my credit card debt albeit not as quickly. I ended up putting an offer in and was out-bid by a competing all-cash offer. Then, my real estate agent asked me: do you want to be the backup bid in case it falls through?
Hmmm. Well, I had previously decided that if it fell through or I was out-bid, I would take it “as a sign” to wait; that God had something else for me. Whether that would be a different property, or maybe He is preparing me for another job, or maybe He is preparing me for a move from the Olympia area...I don’t know. Was taking the rejected offer as a “sign” over-spiritualizing the mundane?
We have to ask ourselves: is God concerned with the mundane? The answer = absolutely! He loved Martha through her anxiety and preoccupied mind. He intervened over food supplies by providing flour and oil for the Widow at Zeraphath (1st Kings 17:8-16). He governs friendships as shields and life-giving relationships as He did with Jonathan and David (1st Samuel 18-20). He is in EVERYTHING and concerned about EVERYTHING.
God gently calls us to rest in Him and listen to Him speak. We are to be stewards. And a part of being stewards is stewarding our priorities; even the mundane ones.
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 10:41-42 (NLT)
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