I've been feeling a lot like Martha, sister of Mary, this weekend. Busy, busy, busy. Up from sun up to sundown. Cooking, cleaning, baking bread, cleaning some more, chasing after children, a regular Proverbs 31 woman, and just like Martha something is missing. I couldn't quite put my finger on it until this evening when a friend reminded me of a favorite song of mine.
JJ Heller sings a song called "What love really means", and in the song there are 3 people reaching out for love. Each one has experienced pain in their lives and is searching for that perfect love.
The words of the chorus are...Who will love me for me, not for what I have done or what I will become. Who will love me for me, cause nobody has shown me what love, what love really means.
When we get caught up in our daily lives and our daily to-do's, we start looking for affirmation from the people around us. Unfortunately you don't always get the pat on the back you are looking for and if that continues for very long it can really wear on you. We've all seen the news reports about workers that go on rampages and kill their bosses and their co-workers. Not even our children or spouse can give us all the love we feel we may need. Lack of love from people around us, leaves us feeling worthless and unworthy.
When asked in Bible study today what inanimate object I most associate with, I answered my bread machine during the kneading cycle. Why, because I feel like I am being pushed and pulled and spun around and nobody's lifting the lid to see if I need more flour so I am not so sticky. Do you ever feel like that? Do you ever feel like no one is paying attention to what you need, while you are paying attention to everybody else's needs?
Martha felt that way, while her sister sat in the other room with the living Lord, Martha watched from the kitchen and began to get angry and resentful. Nobody was patting her on the back as she made arrangements to feed more then a dozen people that day in Bethany. And while she slaved away in the kitchen, her sister Mary ignored her many stares.
I love Jesus' answer to Martha when she asked Him to get Mary into the kitchen. He says that "Mary has chosen the better part." He didn't say that Martha was wrong for cooking and cleaning and preparing the feast, but that there was a part of her activities that she was missing out on.
When we forget that we are here doing His will, we often forget about putting Him first. He put us where we are, whether it's in our job or in our family or in another relationship and we must remember that we need to look to Him for our comfort and love because people fail us, but He never will.
I love the last chorus of "What love really means", the inmate calls out to Him and He answers with this line...I will love you for you. Not for what you have done or what you will be come. I will love you for you, I will give you the love, the love that you never knew.
There are times that we will be busy and times that we are not, but there should always be time to refill our hearts in His presence. He is always waiting for us just to take a moment and rest in Him and relax in His love. People can't always fulfill our expectations and our needs, but the one in heaven always can, we just need to trust.
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