Mary & Martha

From time to time, I see a certain bumper sticker on cars as I drive through town. This bumper sticker has only 3 short words, but these 3 short words convey a world of philosophy. What are the words on this bumper sticker? 'Born to shop.'

While it's intended to be humorous, I'm afraid it's pathetically close to the truth for a lot of people. Do you want to know how you and I can find out what our priorities are? We can find out by looking at our checkbook and credit card statements. Our money follows our priorities. Therefore, no matter what we tell other people, if we really want to know what our priorities are, we can find out by seeing how we spend our money. And for some people, their checkbooks reveal that they do seem to think they were 'born to shop.' That's their priority, their little purpose in their little lives. God must weep at our shortsighted self-centeredness.

God's plan for us is much more worthwhile than that. Our regular listeners know that we're into a study that answers the questions:

"What gives meaning and fulfillment to life? How can I live a purposeful and intentional life?" As we've read the Bible and reflected on what God is telling us in His Word, we've seen His message come through loud and clear: We were not 'born to shop.' We were born to worship. We were designed to glorify our Designer; we were created to worship our Creator.

During the next several days, we're going to walk thoughtfully down a hallway. The walls of this hallway are lined with portraits of various women and men. Behind each portrait is a story. Behind each story is a worshiping heart.

We can learn from these very ordinary humans, and what we learn will help you and me get a better grip on God's design. We'll understand more about the unique, significant versions of lifestyle worship He has in mind for each of us.

Let's begin with the true story of two sisters.

This probably happened to you a thousand times over the years. As the evening of one day gradually settled over the land, you thought through the day ahead and began to plot your schedule. The next day came, and you made some small changes in your plan for the day as you ate breakfast. Then, having planned the work, you began working the plan. Suddenly the phone rang. The call totally reorganized your day as you dealt with the priorities it raised.

Your thoughtfully planned schedule, instead of being your navigation chart for the day, became just another scrap of paper for your already-overflowing wastebasket. The day was transformed from a controlled assault to a frantic scramble. Some of you are smiling and nodding your head, aren't you! You've been there, and you know exactly what I mean!

That's how it was with Martha. Always in control, she had her list of projects for the day and was busily knocking off one carefully prioritized item after another. Suddenly word came that Jesus was in town. Always the eager hostess, she invited Him home for dinner. And in a heartbeat, 'busy' became 'frenzied!'

Not to worry though: Martha was in charge and she had her sister Mary as first lieutenant. Martha was seldom happier than when she had a mission and a list: Sweep the porch, stoke the fire, set the table, stir the stew, fetch the water, find some flowers, dust the furniture, wash the feet, change the outfit-and you haven't met anyone like her, right?

Suddenly, while leading an assault on her list, she had the distinctly unpleasant feeling that no one was following her. Mary? Where was Mary? Rushing from the kitchen into the front room, Martha spotted her sister in the living room with Jesus. While Martha was scurrying around, Mary was sitting down. Listening. Resting. Smiling. Calm. Enraptured. She looked as if she had nothing better to do with her time.

Martha was mad at Mary. She was so upset that, as a child might come to a parent and plea for fairness, Martha burst in on the conversation of her Guest of Honor, Jesus of Nazareth. "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me."

She had a point. There was a lot left on her "To Do" list.

Have you never seen a child who, though seldom ever cracking open the gold-trimmed pages of his or her Bible, takes one look at work that needs to be done around the house and promptly whips out that Bible for a very spiritual-looking "quiet time?" It appears as if Martha suspected Mary of using that same, clever work-avoidance tactic.

© 2007 John Garmo. If you would be interested in using this article, please contact us at Info@MissionToChildren.org.