My little lady’s favourite story to close the day with at the moment is that of Mary and Martha from her picture Bible. There is something about the juxtaposition of Mary quietly listening to Jesus and Martha’s harried facial expressions in her picture Bible that makes her smile and laugh. At the end of the story when Martha has urged Jesus to reprimand Mary, he simply says “Martha, Martha, Mary has chosen what is good.” My little lady breathes a sigh and looks up at me from her bed and says, “Oh, that’s nice.”
It has been a little reminder this week for my Martha-tendencies. Have I found a little bit of quiet to spend listening at Jesus’ feet? Have I filled from the well of everlasting water to fuel my day? I have been feeling challenged lately to restructure my day to ensure I get in a few moments of quietness to spend at the feet of Jesus. And you know what- it is hard having an extra few moments of sleep when you feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit. And so, to try and be obedient, I have been tiptoeing out in the dark and quiet of the early morning to spend time with Jesus. And it is good.
The first morning through bleary eyes, I clearly remember praying, ‘Lord, if you want these extra 10 minutes, you better make it worth it!” And would you be surprised to hear the kids have been sleeping in a little longer- giving me more than 10 minutes in quietness at the feet of Jesus, to prepare my heart to worship throughout the day. I’m sharing this not as a badge of honour (it has only been a week after all!) and not to show my ‘holier-than’ life, but to show that spending time at the feet of Jesus really is worth it. God meets us there, equipping us for the day ahead.
David seemed to also make a practice of spending time in the morning with God, which makes me think if the man after God’s own heart did it, it must be a pretty good practice.
In Psalm 5:3, we read: “O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you[ and watch.”
Psalm 119:
I call with all my heart; answer me, Lord,
and I will obey your decrees.
146 I call out to you; save me
and I will keep your statutes.
147 I rise before dawn and cry for help;
I have put my hope in your word.
As women of the Word, we need to be thirsty for time at Jesus’ feet, equipping ourselves for a day of worship and sacrifice. It is okay to be efficient, love lists and a manager of the home (and workplace) as Martha was (because churches, our homes and our world need both Mary and Martha personalities). But it is important to remember, spending time with Jesus is what is the best thing. Hear the words of Jesus, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41.
In reflection of these verses, Kevin DeYoung writes, “Granted, we shouldn’t take this episode as a blueprint for every moment of every day. If God expected us to do nothing but sit cross-legged on the floor and journal, the Bible could have been much smaller. Mary’s example is not a summons to the contemplative life in a cloister. But it’s a pretty strong reminder that we had been keep first things first” (p.112 from “Crazy Busy”, 2013, Crossway.)
Want to join with me in keeping the first thing first this week? Let us make time to spend worshipping Jesus and listening at his feet. Let us not give him the left-overs of our day, instead let us sculpt intentional time out of our day to give Jesus the good portion: reading and meditating on his Word and pouring out the treasures and burdens of our hearts to him. Tomorrow I start reading through the book of Matthew along with Courtney Joseph and her Good Morning Girls program, beginning with Matthew Chapter 1. If you are looking for some direction I would love for you to join me! Now, off to bed so that I am ready to wake up a little earlier than the kiddies to spend some time with Jesus.
