I am sooooooo Martha! Thankfully not Martha Stewart, but still. I'm the typical older sibling with that same irritating tendency to take charge. Whenever I read this story, I never picture myself as Mary - who was able to just relax and sit with her guests even if all the food wasn't ready to serve, or the dishes cleaned up right away so the kitchen looked nice. Mary was able to serve Jesus with her hospitality in a more personal and meaningful way than Martha, who kept herself so busy she ended up neglecting her guests.
Last Halloween I did the same thing as Martha. Actually, since then I've been holding onto a lot of resentment towards my guests (mainly the women). I was inside preparing all the food for our guests...and they all stayed outside talking together by the fire pit. I was hurt and angry that nobody came inside to help me, that they all chose to spend time together when there obviously was work to be done. So I missed my chance to spend time with my friends because I was too worried about all the food being served properly...and then I was even more upset later because hardly any of the food was touched and I ended up wrapping it back up and storing it for another day. I thought I was serving my guests...but after I look at the situation with an open mind, I was only serving myself by staying in the kitchen preparing all the food. I was worried about all the wrong things.
Like Martha, sometimes my awareness of details can prevent me from seeing the whole picture...I'm still learning when to serve and when to sit back and relax. Thankfully Jesus is patient with me too.
That is tough to do and in this sense I can be a martha at times as well. Def not a Martha Stewet I am the polor opposite of that chicka!
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