Luke 10:39-40
.... Martha had a sister Mary, who was sitting at Jesus' feet and listening to him teach. But Martha was busy with all the work to be done. She went in and said, "Lord don't you care that my sister has left me alone to do all the work? Tell her to help me."
"Hello Martha!." I joke around, and call Krista, every once in a while. She's been leading and organizing this women's coffee group since it started. She's very organized and on the ball with things, gets things done and does it well. It's her forte. It's one of her many gifts and I admire her for it. I am more like Mary.... not that I'm lazy or anything... but I prefer to sit around listening to a good speaker or read a book than I do cleaning and serving dinner. Is that bad? Truth be told, I have thought so over the past year.
Now, Krista has never gone to God and said," You know, I would really like some help here Lord. Can't you see my sister in Christ, Anuschka, has left me all alone to do all the Deeds for Needs organizing! Tell her to get off her derriere to help me!" at least I don't think she's gone to him and said that. LOL! But....I have wished that I was more on the ball, more organized, more social..etc... I'm not. God made me the way I am for a reason.
In John 11 we meet up with Mary and Martha again. Their Brother Lazarus was sick and died. Both Mary and Martha in their pain, looked to Jesus and found comfort. He loved both Mary and Martha equally and both Mary and Martha needed him.
I love this quote from Charles R Swindoll from his book 'The Grace Awakening'.
"Acceptance means you are valuable just as you are. It allows you to be the real you. You aren't forced into someone else's idea of who you really are. It means your ideas are taken seriously since they reflect you. You can talk about how you feel inside and why you feel that way - and someone really cares. Acceptance means you can try out your ideas without being shut down. You can ever express heretical thoughts and discuss them with intelligent questioning. You feel safe. No one will pronounce judgement on you, even though they don't agree with you. It doesn't mean you will never be corrected or shown to be wrong; it simply means it's safe to be you and no one will destroy you out of prejudice."
Tamara was a bit apprehensive this morning at coffee, because she felt like something was missing the last time we got together. We got too busy to pray over the food last week... we haven't been placing God 1st. At first, she felt a little uncomfortable voicing her opinion... little did she know most of us felt exactly the same. Jesus said, "When you serve other's, you serve me. When you serve self, you don't serve me." She said her piece and gave us each a framed scripture quote.
Isaiah 43:10
"You are my witness," declares the Lord, "and my servant whom I have chosen."
That's what I love about this woman's coffee group. We are a handful of women from different churches and so very different from one and other.... yet it works. It works because of GRACE.
It's our job to accept others; it's God's job to direct them.
I will leave you with this quote from Elizabeth Kubler-Ross:
"I have never met a person whose greatest need was anything other than real, unconditional love. You can find it in a simple act of kindness toward someone who needs help. There is no mistaking love. You feel it in your heart. It is the common fiber of life, the flame of that heats our soul, energizes our spirit and supplies passion to our lives. It is our connection to God and to each other."
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