Are you like Mary or Martha? "Precious Women of God--This Includes YOU!"

Hi Friends~

I am happy to let you know that I had the most energy today that I have had in about a month. It's still not a lot, but I am sure I am on the mend.  I am very grateful for all of your prayers and thoughts.  Thank you.  I am hoping to return on Monday, and we can do ALL of the Many Card Give Aways one for each post that ,I missed due to my illness, plus the "He IS Able Card of the Week Drawings!"  That will be a lot of cards given away!  Please be sure to leave a comment before Sunday at 8pm.  (A different time this week.  We will have Wednesday's Give Away on Wednesday!)

Today is the 3rd Friday of the month, and that means it is an extra special day here on the He IS Able blog!  As you may know, Michele writes our Bible Study called, "Precious Women of God--This Includes You!"  I am thrilled with what she wrote this week!  It is thought provoking.  It is informative.  It has Scripture in it.  And, it is life applicable! We certainly hope that you enjoy it, and learn something from it at the same time.  We would love to hear your thoughts or realizations in the comment section.

Martha and Mary by Michele

I read this story and what really hit me personally was the difference between Mary and Martha.  It is such a common occurrence.  Have you heard the phrase "Stop and smell the roses"?  It was one of the best pieces of advice that I got before my wedding-- don't get caught up in the tasks, enjoy what you have--enjoy the day and spend time with your guests, eat the food and enjoy.  I know a wedding and the below story are not the same thing, but I have seen people who get wrapped up in the tasks and lose sight of the fun of a day or miss out because of "tasks" or work that needs to be done.  I understand preparation and work and the importance of it, but missing out is something a lot of us do because of what we think needs to be done--life is a gift our Lord and Savior gave--a gift of spending time with Him is so much more important that tasks or laundry and this applies to us today, too!  We need to look at the bigger picture.

Jesus visited the house of Mary and Martha.  Martha prepared food for the guests; Mary sat and listened to Jesus.

"Now as they went on their way, He entered a certain village,

where a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.

  She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet

and listened to what He was saying."

Luke 10:38-40

"But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, so she came to Him and asked, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself?  Tell her then to help me." Luke 10:40

 But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things.  There is need of only one thing. 

 Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her."  Luke 10:41-42

The two women had complementary personalities.  Martha was a doer, a young capable woman who organized and ran a fairly large household.  Mary was a thinker, interested in ideas.  Martha objected to the fact that she had to work while Mary sat and listened.  Jesus said that Mary had made the better choice.

Several points emerge:

• Mary 'sat and listened'.  This was the usual posture of a disciple of any teacher in the ancient world.  But disciples were usually male, so Mary must have been quietly breaking the rule that reserved study for males, not females.
•      Her sister, Martha, was not merely asking for help.  She was demanding that Mary keep to the traditional way of behaving.
•      Jesus was ignoring the traditional role of women, and encouraging Mary to think and learn.  He upheld her right to listen and think about ideas, and to develop her mind.  She should not be limited to the tasks that society laid down for her, but be allowed access to ideas, as Jewish men were.
•      Jesus had previously encouraged the idea of service among His followers, so He did not say that Martha's role of service was unimportant.  This would have gone against His other teachings.  What He did say was that being a disciple, and learning about the ideas He was explaining, was even more important.

There are days that I feel like Martha and days that I find myself being more like Mary.  I think of what it must have been like to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen and learn, and what a blessing that must have been.  God Almighty made each of us women (and men) with special gifts and abilities, the ministry of helping, teaching, sharing the Gospel, evangelists, missions work, financial support we can give, prayer support--no matter what your gifts are remember you are a precious child of God and use your gifts and abilities to help as many people whenever you can.  There is power in prayer, there is power in obedience to God! There is peace that passes understanding that only God can give us.  No matter where you are today--know that you are a Precious Woman of God--This does Include You!

May God bless you and keep you, and trust and wait on the Lord.

_____________________________________________

Michele, thank you so much for continuing to write this post for the 3rd Friday of the month!  I can not wait to see who we will be learning and thinking about next month.  I believe that mostly, I am like Martha.  I am a doer.  I need to get things just "so."  There are things to be done, and they should be done right!  I wish that I had a bit more "Mary" in me.  I have very deep thoughts about the world that we live in, and God and His amazing Word and creations, and the people I love, and the people I don't know.  I wish it went deeper still. 

Are you more like Mary or Martha?  Let us know in the comment section.  We would love to hear!  You can also leave prayer requests there...not only will our Prayer Team be praying for you, but our other guests may certainly pray for you also.  You may need to share it more than once, since people don't usually go back and read comments from previous posts.  If you have a confidential request...feel free to email me at TraciStarkweather@gmail.com with your request. I will share it with Joan, our Prayer Team Leader only.  She and I will both lift you up before the Lord.  And, if you have a few minutes that you can give a day or every other day to pray for your Sisters and Brothers-in-Christ who are a guests of this blog also, or about this blog, please let us know via the email or comment section.  Joan will only give you as many requests as you can handle.  Even if it is one request...it will be a help!  Prayers are answered!  He tells us in His Word.  It is true!  Please join us!  I look forward to hearing from you.

"May the Lord bless and keep you.  May He make His face shine down upon you and be gracious to you."  Numbers 6:24-25

He IS Able!

Traci S.