Made Like MarthaSample

An Invitation to Freedom

Way back in the Garden of Eden, Satan caused doubt to ring in the ears of sister Eve when he questioned and twisted what God had lovingly instructed about not eating the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (see Genesis 3:1–3). With his words, Satan crafted a picture of a God who was holding out on His daughter. Eve also added to what God said by telling the serpent that the fruit couldn’t even be touched.

Satan has done similar things with doers like us. He has exploited this familiar passage about Mary and Martha to convince God’s doer daughters that our wiring is flawed, causing us to doubt we are wonderfully made. The accuser of our souls has spun these five verses, in Luke 10:38-42, to imply that we are not fully loved or acceptable unless we become someone else. 

Jesus never asked Martha to be Mary, and He doesn’t ask you to be either. He simply points out that you do not have to serve from a place of striving and worry, because He is already enough for you. He is not holding out on you. We have added words to what Jesus said and have compromised parts of who He created us to be in the process. Enough is enough! Pointing out one behavior to improve on is not the same as criticizing the totality of who you are.

Let’s stop agreeing with the serpent and others who echo his slippery sentiments. Instead, let’s see this passage in Luke not as a condemnation but as an invitation to freedom. Let’s stand together, confident in who we are and who we belong to. Our doing isn’t the problem. Our motivation for doing is where things get messy. And we aren’t a fan of messes, are we? 

Jesus lovingly reminds us of the importance of receiving, not just doing. He invites us to breathe deeply with the lungs He’s laced together. 

When was the last time you received the love of the Lord, no strings attached, without condition? Rest for a moment, right here amid the mess. Tune in to guilt-free grace, singing a lullaby to your hardworking heart. 

What is the difference between doing because God created you to be a doer and doing because you are trying to earn God’s love?