The Heart of Mary & Martha
By Tonya Norris, P31 Fitness Franchise Owner
SERVANT HEART…. I have a sister who is 5 years older than me. Tina and I are very close. We talk all the time and do many things together. Our personalities are very different, but we fit together perfectly. We finish each other’s sentences and I know what her mood is simply by looking into her eyes. My grandmother always said we were the perfect example of Mary and Martha. I was of course Martha. The one in the kitchen, cooking and cleaning and making sure every one’s tea glass was full. Tina was always Mary. She was always more social than me and had lots of friends. And she has a gifted character trait when it comes to sitting down and genuinely listening to some one’s heart.
Luke 10:38-42
“As Jesus and his 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 few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
I use to think you had to be one or the other, Mary or Martha…. A few years ago, I realized that God really wants us to be both. God desires for us to sit at His feet and worship Him. He wants us to listen for His words of wisdom just like Mary always did. But, He also wants us to be Martha. He wants us to SERVE those around us. He NEEDS us to be His hands and feet in this world. We need to allow our HEARTS to be penetrated with God’s love, grace and mercy just like Mary did and then we need to use the gifts and talents that God has blessed us with and SERVE others just like Martha did.
So this week as we focus on having a SERVANT HEART, it is important that we shift the focus off of ourselves and reach out to those around us. I pray that God would open our eyes and soften our hearts to the needs of others and that we would act according to His purpose.
Galatians 5:13
“Serve one another humbly in love.”
–Written by Tonya Norris,
P31 Fitness Franchise Owner