Yesterday was a race from the moment my feet hit the floor ‘til I tucked my weary, done-in bones into bed last night. A frantic day, a not-a-moment-to-spare day. A chasing-my-tail day. I know you’ve had them. But as I look back on the sequence of events my anxiousness, my distractions, my unrealistic expectations exacerbated the disappointing chaos.
This morning I roused to thoughts of what did you do with Jesus? My mind immediately protested, Why I prayed yesterday morning and I asked God to make my path smooth and help me get everything done I needed to accomplish.
The silence was deafening.
I thought back to yesterday morning and shoving my husband out the door so I could execute my plan for the day. My Martha spirit reasoned, if I missed the first part of Bible study and use it to—yep, that would leave me just enough time to accomplish what needed to be done. I’d just go for the DVD, after all, I did my homework. Yeah, that part worked ‘til the rest of the day did the proverbial leap into the handbag.
As I laid there this morning making excuses an old spiritual began to play over and over in my head. In the mornin’ when I rise, in the mornin’ when I rise. In the mornin’ when I rise, I need Jesus.
And I was ashamed.
Those prayers tossed toward heaven were about me, not about Jesus. I had made a plan, dotted the “I’s” and crossed the “T’s”. My plan would be a smashing success. Or so I thought.
I rolled over and stared at the ceiling as the melody pricked my heart and I whispered my confession to the Lord. My sin of not consulting Him first. My sin of putting everything else before Him. My sin of being distracted with all my preparations. Oh, not bad things, just my things. I hadn’t chosen that “good part” like Jesus told Martha. “Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her” (Luke 11:42 NAS).
How many mornings does this scene repeat itself at your house? How many mornings do your eyelids snap open while your feet hit the floor and there’s no looking back to seek Him. How many mornings do we all open the front door to chaos by not beginning the day with Jesus. Thanking Him. Praising Him. Humbling ourselves before Him. Admitting, before we rise, we need Jesus.
“Now as they were traveling along, He entered a certain village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. And she had a sister called Mary, who moreover was listening to the Lord’s word, seated at His feet. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him, and said, ‘Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.’ But the Lord answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only a few things are necessary, really only one, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her’” (Luke 10:38-42 NAS).
MOVING THE ANCIENT BOUNDARIES 
Only one word…Amen.
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Thank you for that Amen, Julie. Only you know more than I do how chaos beyond our control felt. But God doesn’t need us to “cause all things together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren…What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?” (Romans 8:28, 28, 31 NAS)
DiAne
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Oh, Diane, this so resonated with me. How many times have I done the same thing. Too snippy, too busy to get my agenda accomplished, too whatever–and failed to spend time with the one person who would have kept me on track for the important things. Thanks so much for this timely reminder!
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But Carole, just like I’ve told another reader this morning, God wastes nothing. And I learned yesterday more about not keeping on traveling down the same old road when it’s not working for me. I do believe Satan’s slickest trick is to keep Mr. and Mrs. Christian overloaded with stuff. Stuff to do, stuff that screams for attention, too much stuff. Thank you for reading and responding.
DiAne
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Thank you, DiAne. I needed that. I’m definitely a “Martharite!”
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It’s a family trait that we’ve honed and improved over the years. A trait that takes hold and drowns out the quiet, gentleness of Mary. A trait I’m afraid rooted in pride. Pride of what we can do. What we can accomplish. “Without Christ, we can accomplish nothing” needs to be the drumbeat in our ears every day.
Thank you so much for reading. You encourage my heart.
DiAne
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Did you have to say that part about being rooted in pride? We all know what it’s like to have days like you describe – but you got right to the root problem. How will it take us to realize that we can’t handle this job all by ourselves? Kay
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Well, Kay, I look at the whole thing like this…I’m not as bad as I used to be, but not as good as I’m gonna be. And it’s all because of Jesus and being in the Word. Attempting to live life without understanding and applying the Word to my heart and life is like a writer attempting to write without a computer or thesaurus or dictionary. Or a doctor attempting to heal folks without medicine.
In the mornin’, every mornin’ I need Jesus. I know that, but I get up feeling good and full of energy and that’s my downfall. I have a feeling in the next few years believers are going to get an up-close-and-personal lesson on learning to depend on Jesus to make it through the day.
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Likewise on this end, too often. “and so goes the days of our lives” comes to mind. Good thing you mentioned this, or I’d be wondering what happened to my day. Thanks. Warren Johnson cell 845-532-2004 (does not often work at home) 607-326-6285 haversackhistory@yahoo.com
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But it doesn’t have to be that way, Warren. If only we’d listen to the Spirit and learn. ‘Cause when we don’t, God just gets a bigger board. The Word says we will be transformed…..
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Don’t be to hard on yourself Dianne. A godly spirit is always acceptable/desired by God. If we rouse on ourselves for not doing enough – well we can never reach perfection, or achieve enough ‘good works’ to be acceptable. David failed miserably on so many fronts, but his love for God was acceptable in Gods sight. Gods love for David is impossible to understand if we connect it with his short comings.
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Just judging myself and keeping guard over my heart, Bill. Which is what scripture commands us to do. Yes, God’s grace and mercy is there for us when we turn to Him. But I’m wasn’t bemoaning not doing enough, but of attempting to do too much in my own strength. Those of us who struggle with type A personalities have to keep ourselves reined in, else we have the throttle pressed to the floor…all the time. Thank you so much for reading and replying and for the wisdom of your words.
DiAne
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I agree. I’m too busy to skip my quiet time. It’s imperative to my emotional health.
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Diane, thanks for the post. I am true to my name and have the Martha Spirit. It is like you said, the days I don’t take time to read my Bible and pray are marked by chaos. When I start the day sitting at Jesus’ feet, I am amazed at what I get accomplished.
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Thank you for reading and responding Martha Jane. And I long for the day when we’ll have so little pride and so much sense we understand and immediately bow before Him…first!
DiAne
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