Mary and Martha

I woke this morning with the story of Mary and Martha on my mind.  Often times we fault Martha for not sitting at Jesus' feet where Mary was.  She was "too busy" to listen to Jesus.

But in the same breath we talk about the importance of "doing the Lord's work."  And it's considered a compliment to have a servant's heart (unless you're Tim Hawkins).  ;-)

I think Martha's problem wasn't that she was busy serving others.  Jesus didn't have a problem with her until she fussed at Mary for not doing what she was.  Martha's problem is that she expected Mary's act of worship to be the same as hers.  Just because Mary wasn't worshipping the same way as Martha,  that didn't make her worship wrong.

Sometimes what God expects of one is not the same as what He expects of another.  We do our brothers and sisters a disservice if we expect their journey of faith to match our own.  We're not all the same.  And we would do well to remember that.

Keep soaring,

B

Standing in the boat...

I've been very absent when it comes to all things church for the past few years.  My time in East Texas had left a sour taste in my mouth for it, and it has lingered for so long that even the good things I've found haven't tasted quite right.  So, I've been that guy, the one who is wholly dedicated to warming seats on Sunday and doing nothing else.

But I see my son, asking harder and harder questions as his mind begins to understand life and death.   I see my wife, constantly pushing the boundaries of her comfort zone because her faith moves her to action.  I see my family longing for God in ways they haven't in years.  And here I sit, dedicated to warming the chair.  Because poor pitiful me got burned.

I'm not saying that what happened didn't hurt. But I am saying that I've had enough time to grieve.  If there's still a bad taste,  it's because I haven't washed my mouth out.   It's time that I did.

I've been standing in this boat long enough.   It's time to try to walk on water.   And if I sink. ..well at least I sank trying.

Thanks,  Matt, for the prodding.   Thanks,  Mandy,  for understanding.

Keep Soaring,

B