Mazel Tov Leo! Reflections on work and rest.
I attended my first bris this morning, albeit via zoom, for the son of one of my best friend’s from high school. Perhaps that is why my mind is piqued toward analyzing my faith this morning. Okay- that’s a lie. My mind is always piqued toward that, the analyzation of faith, and it’s probably why I attached myself to this poor girl when I met her Junior year of high school. She was Jewish. And that, to me, was FASCINATING. A REAL LIVE JEWISH PERSON. She probably just stared blankly at me as I worked out all the ways in my head that I was about to save her life.
I’ve always been fascinated with cultures and religions and the idea that people desire to know God and reach toward God… Can God be found? Short answer? Yes.
My sweet dear friend, she endured so much at the hand of my ignorance and fascination. I remember dog-sitting for her one time and leaving her house with the TV left on, tuned to the CBN (Christian Broadcast Network) channel so that the house could be blessed in the name of Jesus. Sorry Dana. I now realize that if I wanted to bless you in the name of Jesus, I should at least turn it to CNN or something, NOT CBN… At least you laughed when you got home and saw it.
But on to the serious stuff. As I sat and reflected this morning, after the bris, and after my shower, and while I waited for Jesse and the kids to get home so we could finish packing and HOPEFULLY make it to the airport this week, I thought about this idea that we can have a relationship with God.
C. John Miller writes, “Although you are a Christian, are you living like you have to still pay for your own sin? … The work of Christ has broken into time. Be ready to throw it all away Be more ready to give because it’s been given to you and more willing to forgive because you’ve been forgiven. In love, put yourself in other people’s places. NEVER glory in anything else.” (C. John Miller, Saving Grace).
What do I glory in? His question and commands beg the response, from me, what is THAT in which I find glory? The response to my text message? A person reaching out with me to talk about my latest post? My husband being attuned to my needs and understanding what the best thing for him to do in a situation is because he understands ME? If those are some things that assuage my pain, then it must mean that I want to be REALIZED- seen- known. Apparently, I want Christ because the argument is adequately made that is exactly for what we were made.
Luke 10:41–42 The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and trouble about many things, but ONE thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” Mary was listening to God.
I have to confess, listening to God is literally the hardest thing for me to do sometimes. I mean, I can say no to shoes and purses more easily than I can listen to God. Listening to God requires taking my hands OUT of a situation and OUT of circumstances AS WELL AS OUT of manufacturing or controlling the way I am perceived by any of the main or supporting characters in my life. Listening to God requires I aim all of my mind’s eye and heart’s eye, all of my self, my soul- (there’s gotta be a Greek or Hebrew word for this that encapsulates it. Jesse? Come on. This is what I married you for. I can do most of the writing, but you know all the technical stuff. What is it)? That word that encompasses and explains every essence of my desire and even self-right identified in God is what I’m searching for, and when I find it, I must PLACE it where IT FITS… that means finding where, actually, I am shaped to fit instead of trying to carve out space for me to fit into. Ahh such is the elusive work of life, and I would never find be enabled to participate BUT for the GRACE of God calling my heart.
God’s Call: I don’t choose God. God chooses me, and then God waits, with all the Godly patience of a God like God’s self, until I screw up my life enough that I might call out to Him…because remember, in GOD we live and move and have our being? (Acts something or other. Paul is speaking, to all those people who have all their gods out, at the metropolis I think? I am not sure how I passed seminary sometimes).
C. John Miller continues, “The difference between [Mary and Martha] is this: Martha is characterized by action based on human wisdom and understanding; Mary is characterized by action based on meditation and prayer.” He continues onward analyzing the behavior of the women, and of Martha, he writes that she “is doing something dangerous, all her activities and ministries are shifting her away from Christ. She thinks that she and Jesus are a kind of team. She works with him for a while, but then she criticizes him.” OUCH. DID YOU CATCH THAT??? IT’S SO TRUE! She freaking CRITICIZES Jesus, GOD INCARNATE, because He isn’t rebuking Mary. WOW. Why don’t we call this the story of Mary and Megin, actually? I think that fits very well. I mean, I’m astonished. Incredible.
The point Miller ends with is about resting in Christ, and that obviously is a key component of what Jesus is teaching here in this text, but I take the entire idea of resting a bit further in my mind (as I’m sure Mr. Miller does too, but he was only writing a daily devotional….not a novel). I would say that Martha can’t rest in Christ because she has to work to prove her identity, not just her salvation. She might trust that ‘’in the end,’’ she’ll be okay, but she still has to work out everything in life ALL on her own. She can’t rest in Christ. She has to prove that she’s WORTHY ENOUGH to be Christ’s partner, and maybe that even entails calling Christ out on His supposed oversight. THAT’S why this should be the story of Mary and Megin because THAT’S what I have struggled doing. Telling God how to fix the situation, and then making an even bigger mess… and it’s not just by accident or because I’m not God. No. It’s because I am arrogant and think I can save myself, WANT to save myself, try to earn my salvation. “Eternal salvation- CHECK. Now the sanctification part and the working out of all that there is here, OH- THAT’S MY JOB, RIGHT?” Wrong Megin. Wrong Martha. Wrong whatever your name is….
Surely, it is our job to obey and to learn obedience even through suffering, as Jesus did, but it is never our job to figure this out on our own, apart from Christ. We are co-laborers in the Gospel with one another, but we should be finding our worth and validation and acceptance and joy and security and stability and reason for living in our relationship with God, NOTHING else. If we don’t have a personal relationship with God, all we have is a mere set of principles that we work our ass off to get right and fulfill while HOPING that in the end God will be pleased with us. And what Scripture tells us is that God is too holy for that, and that it doesn’t matter what we do… all of our best gifts are like filthy rags to God.
(Aside- that is from a text in Isaiah 64, and I do remember the Hebrew word for filthy rags and it’s translation- Check out the link and you’ll see why-(iddah begged.)
Reality. No Fear: The truth is, I AM anxious and troubled about a lot, but if people are honest with themselves, most everyone is. Most of us are Martha. Few of us are Mary. Some of us are really great at hiding the fact that we are Martha’s. Others of us (hi- like ME) are not. That is why the command most given in Scripture is DO NOT FEAR, though. There has got to be a reason for that, right? I mean, I know in my house that the most IMPORTANT things are the things I say the most, to Eli, or Eden, or Jesse, or even the dog. Like, if it’s important, I say it, over and over again, and they really can’t tell me that they DIDN’T hear me. AND THAT’S WHAT SCRIPTURE DOES. Scripture exhorts us NOT to fear, NOT to worry, NOT to put all our hopes on our plans and destinations and reputations and anything else that can ‘’bring God glory” while also glorifying ourselves. (See what we do there? Hmm). Scripture tells us to look to one author and finisher of Faith, one Savior, in whom we rest from work and find there is nothing to fear but much for which to be thankful.
Freedom is the release of having to explain the relevance of my existence, my worth, my opinions, my thoughts, or anything else. Freedom is recognizing that the eternal God of the world, in incarnate Jesus Christ, created a path that I might SPEAK WITH HIM AND LISTEN TO HIM. That’s how we began our time today, thinking about listening to God, and how hard it is, for me at least… because I’m so busy WORKING everything OUT for God. So God hems me in …. quite frequently so that I may listen and be freed. Take it from me, a gal whose missed a few flights because her and her husband couldn’t get their crap together this week. Just stop- stop trying to be or do anything. Stop trying to please God so much that you never listen to God tell you about the things which are pleasing to Him. Stop, and listen. Listen to God; do not fear. It is incredible… I wait.
Comments