Can I encourage you to let go of your ideas of the picture-perfect Pinterest Christmas, especially after the past two years we have had? Know that I have to give myself this advice every year. My mom was a single mom who worked as a waitress, so she had to work on a lot of the holidays. That meant the days that were supposed to be festive and fun were lonely and uneventful. As an adult, I set out to make up for all of the lost holidays by making them, especially Christmas, beyond epic. Yeah, as you may have thought, that didn’t work.
These days, we could all be like me. We could easily try to repair the failed plans of the past few year and a half by creating an over-the-top holiday event. Or instead, we can remember whose birthday it is and chill out. And when it comes right down to it, perhaps we could use rest in His presence more than epic presents under the tree. What do you think?
In Luke 10: 39 we read, "And Mary…sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, 'Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!'"
I have an ambitious missionary friend who said, "If Mary has gotten in that kitchen and helped Martha, they both could have been at Jesus' feet." But those of us who have difficulty with over-doing, if we are honest, we know that there will always be more to do. The urgent tends to supersede the important—We have to choose. Mary chose what is better. And Jesus said, "It will not be taken from her." Mary had her priorities straight. She didn't let the immediate crowd out the eternal.
Martha was majoring in minors: How do I look to everyone here, especially the very important visiting Teacher? Will I impress my guests as the best Martha Stewart of Bethany?
We can find ourselves there, can't we?
The Lord gently offered clarity to Martha and all of us hyper-vigilant overachievers. In Luke 10:41, the Master states, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."
The words worried and upset in the KJV version of the Bible are translated careful or care-filled and troubled. One of the words for "trouble" in the New Testament is tarazo-which means to upset as demonstrated in John 5 when the angels stirred up or upset the waters at the Pool of Bethesda.
But that's not the word used here. In this verse, the word used is "Toorbadso," which means to make trouble!
Jesus is saying, "Martha, Martha, Martha, Honey, Sugar, Darlin" (He was Southern. Galilee was in the southern part of Israel!) you are making way too much trouble for yourself."
From His correction, we see that it's not about trying to impress your friends or family or measuring up to your own internalized expectations or those of others, especially if we forego quality time with the Lord in the process.
This Christmas, especially with all the stress we have endured all year, give yourself and those around you a gift. Let go of unrealistic expectations and spend some quiet time with the Birthday Boy. And let Him give you the gift of peace, which is what Christmas is all about anyway, isn't it?