As Jesus and their
disciples were on their way, He came
to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to Him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the
Lord’s feet listening to what He said.
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!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are
worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better and it will
not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38
Nearly three years ago,
my husband and I surprised our oldest son, Joshua, with Roscoe, a short-hair
poodle we rescued from an animal shelter. Initially, I had some reservations
about becoming a pet owner; while I knew that Joshua would be Roscoe’s master,
I also understood that having a family pet meant shared responsibility. I knew
there would be times when I have to walk him or feed him and care for him when
he was sick. My cup runneth over and so
I was reluctant to add more responsibility to my life. But of course, over time, Roscoe stole my
heart and I didn’t mind picking up the slack for him; it was a labor of love. Aside from his odd, obsessive behavior of
circling, Roscoe is a good dog. He is loving,
playful and affectionate. And he is a loyal
companion to no end. For some odd
reason, he has chosen me as his closest companion; he follows me EVERYWHERE and
likes to sleep at the foot of my bed.
I can see the Martha in me as it relates to my relationship
with Roscoe. In Luke 10:38, Martha
opened her home to Jesus, but she didn’t spend any time with Him because she
was distracted with the busyness of her life; she was distracted with raising
children, being a wife, running a household, working part-time and serving the
Lord. Martha’s passion for giving
resonates with my spirit; like Martha, I give myself away – a lot! Just last week I made a decision to gracefully
bow out of a commitment because I found myself stretched too thin. I was
frustrated and exhausted because I simply overextended myself. And even as I gave in to becoming a pet owner, I was adament about not getting too close to Roscoe; I wasn't sold on sharing my heart with him. While I know that giving pleases God, I also
realize that in as much as I am emptying out my spirit through my giving, I
must also fill up my spirit by spending quality
time with God. The word of God is fuel
for my spirit and investing in cheap gas simply won’t do! For me, cheap gas is lack luster prayer. Cheap gas is minimal time in devotion with
God. Cheap gas is relying on an “emergency-room-relationship” with God. And
cheap gas will also begrudge your giving.
Nearly three years ago, I opened my home to Roscoe, but it
wasn’t until I opened my heart and lovingly accepted the responsibility of
caring for him that I began to experience the payoff - his loyalty and his
love. I believe that this passage in scripture echoes the same message. When we invite God into our home we should
also invite Him into our heart. In so
doing, we will always reap the benefits of His love and loyalty and no one will
ever be able to take that away from us!
No comments:
Post a Comment