Did you ever look and actually see a woman who really had it altogether? Have you? I have. She is not young. But she is beautiful in her age, grace, call, station in life. Why does she have it altogether? Because she is at peace. She has allowed God to answer her question(s). She has looked to God each day over her years, and He has spoken beautiful things to her. The woman that I know that is all put together is a picture of who I want to be. She’s not always right, and sometimes, I don’t think the same way she does, but she’s okay with that. You see she knows who she is, and she’s found the one thing that matters: time with Jesus.
I have also met women who seem to have it altogether. They do the right things. They say the right things, but their spirits are not at rest. They are constantly busy and don’t know how to sit still. This woman I am describing right now is a picture of the woman I was not too long ago, but she is also a picture of the woman that we see in church. Constantly busy, constantly tired, no time for rest.
I know there are seasons in our lives where time is of the essence, and our call as moms, women of God, friends, etc call for urgency, but God never intended for us to live our lives like that. Case in point, there is a story in the Gospels about Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42). Martha, like most moms, is in the kitchen busy preparing food, striving to be sure every last detail is taken care of, and angry that her sister is sitting at the feet of Jesus, wanting another to share in her cares and worries. But Mary is sitting at Jesus’ feet, literally hanging on His every word, and when Martha starts complaining about it, Jesus lovingly tells her to make one thing important. He tells her Mary has chosen wisely, and she has not. But some of you will say, as I would have too, but we need to eat, the house needs to be cleaned, the table needs to be set, the kids need a bath, the furniture needs dusted, the laundry needs to be done, and the list goes on and on. And you know what, God would never tell you those things don’t need to be done, but they don’t at the cost of sitting at Jesus’ loving, life giving feet.
You see I too want my daughter to eat healthily, to obey, to be polite, to be dressed well and clean, to learn to pick up her toys, to know her shapes, colors, and letters, to love others, to have nice things. I want my house to be clean, my dinners to be well-prepared, my laundry to be done, my house to be dusted, my husband’s needs to be met, to spend time with friends, to plant flowers and veggies outside, to workout, to speak life to others, and the list goes on and on. But what I have found after all the striving I’ve done is that all along I was missing the one main thing while striving for so many other things, and what I am learning is that when I get the one thing right first, all the other things will fall into place because of Him.
You see, Mary saw Jesus for who He was, and she knew she needed what He had. And what He had changed her. It quieted her. It focused her. It gave her peace, but not peace as the world gives. Peace that remains when the world is crazy. Peace that remained ALL the time. You see there is nothing like Jesus’ voice. It’s soft. It’s gentle. It’s calming. It’s honest. It’s quieting. Zephaniah 3:17 says, He will quiet me with His love. But I have to take time to let Him quiet me. I have to take time to sit at His feet.
Now lest this burdens you. I don’t mean you have to spend an hour every day. I don’t mean you have to read the perfect Scripture, or be the perfect person throughout your day, or only listen to worship music or any of that. All I mean is you need time that is solely devoted to God, not to your kids, or your hubby, or another task….just to Him. It might be 5 minutes each morning. It might be morning today, afternoon on Friday, and just before bed on Sunday. But just take 5 minutes and sit at His feet and let Him speak to you. He knows you, knows what you need, and knows how you need to be spoken to. He will do it, if you will quiet your world and focus on your one thing.
Keith Moore spoke on this a while back, and I listened to it and made it hard, but it doesn’t need to be. If you give him time devoted to Him, then throughout your day, He will continue to speak. He will talk to you while you wash clothes or play with your kids or see a beautiful sunset or snuggle with your husband. He will make all those other things we strive for effortless because of the one thing. Listening to Him. And I encourage you as you do, trust your heart. He said He would give us a new heart in Ezekiel, and if you know Him, you have your new heart and got it at salvation. He has put all you need in there to accomplish all the tasks that are important to you, and you’ll find out how easy it is if you just listen to His voice, the voice of peace that quiets you, and follow it.
He isn’t hard, and life doesn’t have to be either. You can day by day become that woman who has it altogether not because of all the things you do, but because of the one thing that changes everything: The voice of God. And believe me that is one sweet voice. Stop chasing Martha, and sit at the feet of your Savior like Mary. Enjoy your life. It’s what He made you for. He made you to enjoy Him and the beauty of all He has given you….cause when you do, look at world. Everything changes effortlessly, and so do the lives of the people around you.
A Little Bit of Everything 