“My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42 NLT
We all get things backward sometimes; this passage comes from the context of Jesus speaking to Martha, who was so focused on making a large dinner for everyone that she felt frustrated with her sister Mary, who simply sat at the feet of Jesus and listened to his speaking.
Reflecting back on my roles in skateboard and snowboard ministry events or camps in the past, I’m a definite Martha-type: desiring to serve and make an amazing event for everyone, yet often realizing in hindsight that I might have missed the mark after all.
There are times when I feel so frustrated and tired–because I’ve been serving in order to make Jesus happy or to get affirmation from God. The truth is, the place where I (and you) need to be is at the feet of Jesus, listening to his words and dwelling in friendship with him, just like Mary was doing. That’s where true rest, joy, and peace can be found.
What a rad reminder that God doesn’t want anything from us, and that all he wants is to be with us: to be our friend, father, and king. That’s the God we serve and get to share with people even on a crazy chairlift somewhere.
Serving isn’t bad, we just have things backward. My prayer for all you fellow SCFer’s out there is that we’d walk in deep relationship with God as Abba, our dear father–that our service in our communities would be a natural overflow of this.
CHALLENGE
-Have you ever felt fatigued, frustrated or bummed after an outreach event or time of service? If so, what do you think made you think this way?
-We all have different “sacred spaces” in our lives where we best connect with God (hiking etc.). When’s the last time you just spent time with Jesus in one of these spaces?
-Have you ever felt God’s rest and peace even in a time that was inherently stressful or taxing? It might be worthwhile to pray and ask God to reveal times when he’s really shown up for you.
By Zach Creighton | Alberta, Canda