Mary Mindset

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed-or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42)

The holidays are here. To be honest, the holidays snuck up on me this year. Now it is madness until January 1st with weekends filling up quickly. Holiday shopping, hosting family dinners, Friendsgiving, home decorating, the list goes on and on. Every holiday season seems to be a whirlwind and afterwards I’m left exhausted with the feeling that I wasn’t truly present in the special moments I was given. In these times, I think to myself, “am I being a Mary or a Martha right now”?

Martha may have been referred to as a “hostess with the mostest” by her friends, which is a title that I have always strived for. However, it wasn’t Martha’s hosting skills that captured the heart of Jesus. Mary sat at His feet soaking in the moment with her Lord. To Mary, it did not matter if the meal was presented “just so”, if Jesus used a coaster underneath his glass, or if He received the nicest present under the tree. Mary simply presented herself as she was.

I see so much of Martha in myself and I am sure there are times you can relate. Martha scurried about the kitchen, flustered and worried. Comparison truly got the best of Martha’s mind and comparison, my friends, is the root of discontentment. Jesus consoles her by saying, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed-or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better.” As the holiday season begins, I encourage you to let go of the Martha inside of you and embrace a Mary mindset. Come to the Lord without all of the fluff. Afterall, he already knows and loves you just the way you are.