Whispers of Truth: Hosting a Company of Traveling Men

Your husband tells you that Dr. Marshall and 5 other men from Second's staff are coming to your house for dinner.  Or perhaps, for those outside the circle at Second, the Superintendent, principal and 3 teachers from your child's school will be coming.  What must be done to prepare?  Organizing your to do list, managing the family, picking out your specialty meal, maybe griping at your hubby for not taking out the trash from last night, making sure you have enough variety of beverages, a trip to the store for groceries, cleaning the meat, cutting and preparing the veggies, baking the dessert, sweeping the floors, making sure the dishes are set, checking to make sure all the areas of the home are tidy, examining toilets for spotlessness, setting out extra toilet paper, reminding the kids to pick up their toys, lighting candles for the house to have that homey feel, and making sure you are presentable by the time your guests arrive.  Did I leave anything out?  Of course, that would be in this century.  But for a woman named Martha?  Jesus was coming!!!  And the list of beverages, probably just water and wine, required a trip to the well and her company would have dirty-sandy feet!

Whisper of Truth:

As the story goes, Martha is working hard and distracted by her list of to-dos.  Mary, her sister, sat at Christ's feet and listened to what He was saying.  She approached and whined to her famous guest about how her sister wasn't helping.  "Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but one thing is necessary.  Mary has made the right choice and it will not be taken away from her."

So I am not going to re-hash all that the Lord has been teaching me about focus.  Of course, Martha was focused on all those important things that must be done when one entertains guests.  And let's face it, all those things MUST be done.  But the point was that she prioritized all those things before time with her Father and was anxious over all of them.  And yet, what I love about the Lord, is that instead of bringing down a hard hand, he addressed her with love.  He said her name twice.  In scripture, whenever one is called out twice by name, it means to show attention and intimacy towards that person.  Jesus was not nagging her and huffing her name twice as if she was such a problem.  No.  It was said with all the love he had for her.  And for me?  "Alicia, Alicia, you are worried and upset about many things and one thing is necessary.  If you sit with me, prioritize that time, you won't be so overwhelmed."

So today, is your to-do list extra long?  Are you wondering how your going to get it all done?  Do you find yourself saying, let me just do this and that, and then Lord, we'll have our time together.  If your like me, the this and that continues throughout the day.  Dear friend, hear this and say it aloud:

"______, _______, (interject your name), you are worried and upset about many things, but one thing is necessary.  Sit with me, put me first, and you won't be so overwhelmed."

I find that my to-do list doesn't control me as much when I put Him first and my day is so much brighter as well.  And for Martha?  I guarantee it would have been as well.  But, interestingly enough, the story doesn't really end in telling us what Martha does next.  Perhaps, it's the Lord's way of helping us apply it in our own lives and letting US decide how our ending or rather beginning, will be each day.