"Martha, Martha", the Lord answered, "You are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed - or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." - Luke 10:41

This is my favorite time of year...the time for planting flowers and feeding hummingbirds. My children joke about me and my hummingbirds...they say, "One of these days we are going to come outside and you will have them on all leashes and drinking out of their water bowls". That is probably not far from the truth. (the tiny creatures fly right up to me and practically sit on my shoulder...they know somehow that it is OK to fly close to me and as I sit in stillness they move about me reminiscent of the Holy Spirit....smoothly dodging and flitting from here to there...able to move in any direction with out notice). Over the years I have hung feeders and planted lantana, salvia, bee balm, cup-phea, and various other nectar producing plants. I joy in loading my balcony with strategically placed sugar feeders and enticing blossoms. I even have a bright red umbrella to lure the little birds closer. To say I am obsessed is an over statement, but to say that I am enamored, well, that would be closer to the truth. God creates such amazing things! It isn't the birds themselves that amaze me, it is their creator. He takes my breath away with the detail and ingenuity of his engineering and strategy. Every creature is connected to every other in a woven tapestry of dazzling colors, lilting sounds, and life sustaining relationships...These are the things that draw me to sit at Jesus' feet. When I am outside in Nature...sitting in the midst of God's creation, I am able to shed the "Martha" mentality, and sit in awe and wonder...listening.

"Be still and know that I am God." - Psalm 46:10

God asks us to sit...still and unmoving...to focus our minds and spirits on him. In this fast paced day and age we all have a bit too much "Martha" and not nearly enough "Mary" in our lives. I see people overloading their schedules with; work, sports teams for the children...church activities...PTA meetings...on and on the list grows...To tell you the truth, it was even hard for me to come up with those things because I don't do that stuff any more. Happily I limit my extra circular endeavors as well as my children's. I do not live a sedentary life. I work in ministry. I disciple women. I am active in a community group. I have a family. I blog daily. I am going on a mission trip to Malawi. (You get the point, I don't just sit around all day eating bon-bons, although that sounds tempting!) But I have also made time to sit and listen to God. I get up at 5 a.m. every morning. I worship, I pray, I read scripture, I journal...I watch hummingbirds...I sit quietly and allow my spirit to settle and listen for the Lord.

I understand that not everyone is a "morning" person. I am not a "morning" person, or at least I wasn't until God impressed on my heart that He wanted more time alone with me. At that time in my life the kids were younger and the only way to spend time with the Lord was to get up early before everyone else did. And so, I got up. I have found that it is better for everyone that I spend hours with God before walking out the door into the world. I am able to focus on His character. He is able to fill me and challenge me, to convict me and renew me...He sits with me and we talk about many things.

I used to be like Martha. I used to be a bit obsessed about how things were done. Everything had it's place and I actually walked around the house "fixing" things that were askew...(seriously, what was wrong with me?!?) I wasted energy trying to control things over which
I would never have control. I cared about what things "looked like". But God wrecked that for me when I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Things got messy as I addressed the sin and the strongholds in my life. Someone with as much baggage as I had needed to spend time quietly watching hummingbirds...quietly sitting at the feet of Jesus...in awe...in wonder...speechless.

For those of you who know me, "speechless" is just about the last word that you would ever think of using to describe me. I am a verbose person with much to say about everything. It bubbles out even when I try to contain myself. You see, God gave me a new boldness when I left my old self behind. 2nd Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old is gone, the new is here!" That was certainly true in my case. Those of you who knew me in high school know that I was shy and insecure. People thought that I was "stuck up" until they got to know me because I never spoke. I was uncomfortable talking in crowds and if I didn't already know you I wouldn't be caught dead starting a conversation. I didn't really "believe" in anything, so I had no forum to speak from. I bobbed and tossed bk and forth in an ocean of insecurity and fear daily...just waiting for the day that I would eventually drown. I tried to hurry things along by drinking and doing drugs...I desperately tried to "feel" something, anything...instead I merely existed, day after day after day...they ran together. And the "business" of my life ended up being yet another way that I was trying to escape my reality and not "feel" anything.

Now I want to experience everything. I think the difference is that I no longer have any fear. As I go through new things, or talk with new people, I come in confidence. I am a daughter of the most High God. I am loved and highly favored. I have been redeemed. I am chosen and well loved.

In peace I start my mornings, sitting at the feet of Jesus. He helps me lovingly deal with my problems. He tells me of His great plans for me. We watch the hummingbirds and enjoy the vibrant colors of freshly opened blossoms as their fragrance mingles between our spirits. We sit together and share our hopes and dreams for each other...our nation...the world. 

"But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him (Jesus) and asked, 'Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!' 'Martha, Martha,..Mary had chosen what is better and it will not be taken from her'." - Luke 10:38-42


Sometimes my family is dismayed that I will let dishes collect in the sink now, or not vacuum every day...they notice that the dusting is done less often, and that the laundry sits folded a bit longer before it makes its way back into the drawers... But hopefully what they notice even more, is the peace and strength and faith that allow me to choose Jesus over being "so busy" in my life. Hopefully my actions do indeed speak louder than my words. As a mother, it is my job to show my children how to be disciples. I have to be discipled by Jesus within their sight. I have to choose sitting at His feet over busy work.

How busy are you? When was the last time that you sat with Jesus? When was the last time that you stopped to smell the roses, or sat still long enough for a hummingbird to feel safe enough to fly right up to you? Life is filled with peace and joy when one takes the time to have a strong relationship with Jesus.