Worship

In the NT reading today, we see two sisters. One, Mary, sits at the feet of Jesus while the other, Martha, prepares the meal. (Luke 10:38-42) When Martha complains about her sister to Jesus, Jesus comments that Mary has discovered the only thing worth being concerned about, and that He would not take that away from her.

I am by nature an obsessive "doer." I have a hard time relaxing, and I tend to be a bit of a workaholic. Seeing people who are content to just sit there and do nothing, even though they say they are "worshipping" has always griped me. It is in my nature to feel like I ought to be doing something, and that they should do something also.

That is a temporal point of view. I am made the way I am made. It is in my nature to be doing things, preparing things, and organizing things. Because that is my nature, how can I hold it against someone who is not made like that? Instead, in my life, I have discovered that I can take the way I am made and use it in worship. Even though those shiftless, good-for-nothing layabouts take advantage... (big breath... breathe...) I can still use my nature good humoredly for worship.

I am being a little facetious here on purpose, but I know I have felt like Martha before. I know I struggle with that still. Aren't we supposed to be doing something in worship? Can we just sit around and let other people do things for us, and still be just as valued? If someone is made "lazy" but emotionally giving, does that make him or her "less" or "more" valuable than someone who is "industrious" but judgemental? The answer lies in using the way we are made in ways that express love and worship for Him and others. I am fortunate to have this personality, because it is effortless for me to pass on God's gift of action to others. That is a blessing to me, a blessing I continually remind myself of, especially when my human nature kicks in and starts shouting, "Unfair!" at people like Mary who let everyone else do the work. What kind of world would it be if everyone were like her, disorganized, chaotic, starving... Of course, what kind of world would it be with a bunch of Martha's and Philip's around, uptight, humorless, stingy...

At the end of the day, I am what I am, and I try to dedicate that to God. I am thankful for the frustrations I feel because they remind me of how much I have, and how much I have to let go of. I get that message loud and clear every day. I see the wall between me and God, and because of that vision, I see God more clearly. I am blessed beyond measure by the way I am made.