Faith Reflections

28 Jul 2023 • Articles

Whenever Jesus was near Jerusalem, he loved to go to Bethany to visit his dear friends, Mary, Martha and Lazarus. His friends enjoyed his visits and looked forward to them, but Mary and Martha welcomed him in two quite different ways.

Mary recognised that Jesus had a wisdom far greater than her own, and she loved to sit down with him and listen to whatever he had to say. Jesus talked about the things which held him close to God and gave him strength for his work – prayer, faith, Scripture and loving God, and the work itself, showing God's love to others.

Martha had no time to listen – she was always busy with her own work. Cooking, and cleaning, and making sure the home was comfortable and respectable and everyone was fed. Certainly she welcomed visitors, but even friends like Jesus meant extra work, although if she had stopped to think about it Martha would have known that she would find just as many reasons to be busy if the house was empty.

One day Martha felt that Jesus really was not noticing the importance of her work, so she bustled around even more, grumbling. There were floors to be swept, meals to be prepared, curtains to be straightened and cushions to be shaken, "Jesus," she said, "my sister is just sitting there with you while I have so much to do. Don't you care? Tell her to help me!" "Martha," replied Jesus, "Mary has chosen to honour me by listening and learning; you are just carrying on with your daily tasks, which teach nothing. What Mary gains from being with me will be hers for ever."

Don't neglect to make room for Jesus in your life, he is always willing to bring his peace to you. Make sure that you are not finding extra things to do just to stop yourself thinking about God or listening to the words of Jesus.

With every blessing for your house and home this summertime,

Ann