in(SECURE) – Part 2
Areanna ended her Unashamed piece by stating “As the Lord calls us to deeper dimensions of love for Himself and fellow man, uniting with God on a more intimate level is crucial. Intimacy is not always dark and passionate, but it is very close and real..” I can’t help but think about the times when we really pray those sincere prayers of “Lord, I really want to know you more!” It’s there where the word becomes active! Sharper than any double-edged sword to divide even our spirit and soul. It’s this knife that causes us to see which master we really serve or who we allow governing our day.
As we are drawing closer to the Lord, what we know to be comfortable and easy in life can all of a sudden become frustrating and, at times, feel unbearable. This takes me to an account of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42. Jesus was in Bethany at the two sisters’ house sitting at the table, teaching the disciples. Mary was sitting at His feet while Martha was doing all of the work! Martha was doing what she knew to do — preparing the meal and house in order to ensure that the hospitality would be favorable in the sight of the guests. Mary, on the other hand, went completely against the grain by sitting there. Mary’s complacency affected Martha to her core resulting in her emotional outburst, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me!”(v. 40).
The Lord showed me the beginning of the strain of insecurity in Martha. Mary was at the feet of the Giver of Life, while Martha would not allow herself to receive the life of the Giver. This could have happened for a number of reasons. Maybe, Martha was not so secure of where she was positioned in her friendship with Jesus; therefore, she resorted to the “work” she knew to do. The work that she knew He could see, as well as everyone else. On the other hand, Mary knew that the work to be done in that moment was not so much of what others could see being done with her hands by natural eyes but what was done with her heart.
Martha’s emotional outburst was due to the lack of security that the Lord “saw” her. No one likes for their efforts of hospitality to be ignored and go without a “thank you”. She did not understand the concept of being still in the presence of Jesus.
There are times when we can have these insecure moments as we are growing in ministry and most of all in our relationship with the Lord and we can feel like we are not doing something right — therefore, we will try to “outperform” the person who has just gone before us or even the person that is on the same stage as us. We will try to “outwork” the person that is in another department of the church to get the pastor’s attention just like kids on the playground. We will foster and coddle the spirit of competition in the name of “iron-sharpens-iron” only to end in a brawl of slander and feuds.
A way that this type of insecurity can be eliminated is by developing a strong FRIENDSHIP with the Lord. By being open and honest with where you are in the moment working past the moment of heart surgery or the perfect exchange. It was as if we are saying that the work that we can do surpasses the work that the Lord can, and will, so if we just sit at His feet.
This is what I love about this account in the scripture! Mary decided to sit and listen and commune with the Lord in a room full of people, including her sister. There are times we will allow our friends and family to affirm our position and work for the Lord and that can get in the way of what we know worship is to the Lord but this was not the case for Mary. She did not hide behind performance but yielded to the love that was in the room…
~To Be Continued~
~Tracy J~
