You open your front door and standing in front of you is Jesus. So perfect in all His glory. You quickly invite Him and His disciples in. He sits and starts telling stories, laughing with His friends. Your sister gleefully takes her place next to Him and you…you run to the kitchen to start preparing for this special guest.

Before you know it, time has passed and you seem to be the only one worried about getting the right meal prepared or your house being cleaned. You seem to be the only one in general who cares about making it nice for you know, God in the flesh…

This story may sound silly and a bit dramatic, but this was the situation Martha found herself in. Luke 10:38-42 shows a snippet of Mary and Martha’s life, but in those few verses, Jesus somehow impacts both Martha, Mary and (unforeseeably) us in such a life-changing way.

I don’t know how she does it. The ultimate “SHE” that seems to be able to do everything. She takes care of her family, works, has a social life, goes to the gym, hosts parties, does bible studies…I am already tired! The “SHE” that seems to have it all together.

There is a stigma in our culture that apparently hasn’t changed for over 2,000 years: we have to pack our lives with stuff. We have to do more, be more, impact more, be leaders, be followers - do it all.

The unfortunate problem with that outlook is we find ourselves in the same conundrum Martha was in. She was so stressed out that she actually complained to Jesus, the actual Jesus…take a minute for that to sink in…she started complaining about how Mary should help her accomplish all the work instead of sitting around like everyone else.

In a moment of literal biblical resonance Jesus simply responds:

“‘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.’” (Luke 10:41-42, NIV)

How many times do we find ourselves going, going, going because we have fear of missing out or we want to make an impact. Get involved in another church group, sign up for another sports team, put in extra hours at work. Worried we have to keep going so that everything seems perfect. The perfect Instagram shot. The amazing Facebook cover. The cutest Twitter photo.

I am a Martha. My mum is Martha. I get it honest. If there is a party, we are hosting. Dinner, we’re in the kitchen. Sign up for tutoring, done. Concession stand at sports games, check. Bible study leader, all over it! The list goes on and on!

What I have come to find is that being involved and wanting to be that perfect “how does she do it woman” isn’t really a great thing. Being involved is fantastic, don’t get me wrong. We all go through seasons in our lives and there are seasons filled to the brim with events and activities. We need counterbalanced of seasons where we take a cue from Mary, step back, and do nothing. We have the opportunity to sit at the feet of our Lord and soak in all the teachings He has for us and turn our leader mentality to a follower action. Have fun with life and all it gives and takes, but make sure you take moments to stop and allow God to fill your own cup back up so that when the time comes you can give again.

I Don't Know How She Does It