Chapter 2 was entitled "Lord, Don't You Care?" Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" Luke 10:40
Oh my, what an absolute perfect expression I couldn't have said better myself at times....I know I have been there many times and even as recent as a few weeks ago for the Grand Opening at my hubbies work....
The text reads on in a section called It Just Isn't Fair: In Luke 10:40, we get a clear picture of Martha's struggles. Surprise visitors appear on her doorstep. We don't know how many. If the beginning of Luke 10 is any indication, it could be as many as seventy people descending upon this quiet home. And Martha responds with open arms and a wide smile. But somewhere between the kitchen and the living room, a seed of resentment starts growing. Before long, it sprouts into a question that echoes in women's hearts today; "Lord, don't you care?"
I know so often my heart can be more than willing to help out, to do whatever is necessary, and then in the midst of trying to pull everything together and the details I have felt this same resentment.... Take for instance the Grand Opening...I was not going to even do any food to begin with...hubby had said he was going to cater...Great, I thought in my head less for me to worry about etc. And then it became well maybe if you wanted to do a few things...ok sure, no problem I responded....And then the day before I find out, there is actually a "Party" being held and there will be 40 people....ack..... and then with all the rushing around the day of getting the food ready... and having some of it there first thing in the morning and rushing back home and then rushing back to bring him lunch....blah blah blah....
hubby tells me oh no the open house Grand opening doesn't actually start until 3:30 in the afternoon.....when I had been lead to believe it was all day and that food was needed in the morning......acckkk....so yeah.....there was a seed of resentment there.......There is a great little box in the book...Warning Signs of a Martha Overload...does anyone else ever fall prey to these..... five unrealistic expectations that can contribute to a servant burnout. Are you following these false belief's?
***There should not be any limits to what I can do.
***I have the capacity to help everyone.
***I am the only person available to help.
***I must never make a mistake.
***I have the ability to change another person.
There comes a scripture at the end.... What you are doing is not good....You will only wear yourselves out, The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. Exodus 18:17-18
In the context of the bible, this verse was pertaining to Moses being the only one to hear the cases of the Israelites brought before him..... In one of the commentaries I found online, I thought this was a great insight: Moses kept to his business from morning to night. Jethro thought it was too much for him to undertake alone; also it would make the administration of justice tiresome to the people. There may be over-doing even in well-doing. Wisdom is profitable to direct, that we may neither content ourselves with less than our duty, nor task ourselves beyond our strength. Jethro advised Moses to a better plan. Great men should not only study to be useful themselves, but contrive to make others useful.
So when the situation arises, and we have the means to ask other's to help out or to even delegate, take advantage of these opportunities....The Lord did not mean for us to should the burden all by ourselves.
I think with better planning if there is a next time for a holiday party, it would be much better to try and delegate out the food.....but when you are given 24 hours notice and you are the only one planning and you are the one with the recipes....then you feel kind of stuck.....
As I read further on in a section entitle The Scales Of Justice there was this little nugget: Fair or not fair. Equal or unequal. Just or unjust. We weigh it all. And if we're not careful, our view of the world can become distorted. Every little word can take on a hidden meaning. Each action can turn into a personal attack.
And a paragraph later: Like grandma's glass grapes, these "sour grapes" can easily outweigh everything good in our lives, tipping the scale against us. Because when we look for injustice, we usually find it.
It is so easy to become discouraged at the amount of work we have to do, whether it be for daily chores around the house or special occasions that arise...and then all of a sudden that discouragement turns to resentment and if that resentment is not immediately dealt with and changed to a grateful servant heart it can turn to anger and further sin.....And isn't that just the playground that Satan finds the most fruitful to stir up more mischief!!!
As we move through the chapter we come across The Three Deadly Ds:
Satan plans his attacks around these ***Distraction/***Discouragement/***Doubt with the underlying strategy Get people's eyes off God and on their circumstances.
This section is entitled A Distracted Heart...."While distraction may not win the battle for our soul, getting our eyes off of what is important will certainly make us more vulnerable to attack."
How often, after we have already got discouraged or frustrated or worse, do we then turn to Jesus for help by crying out to Him? The idea is to head off these attacks by Satan before they start. So when we start to feel overwhelmed or even if the project looks big to begin with....start by asking for help at the outset. Ask Jesus for the help and the strength to undertake the project to begin with. The project or task doesn't even have to look overwhelming, each part of our day should be spent asking for the Lord to bless us with the strength and energy to get through whatever He sets before us.
"Even on those days when I have the best of motives, my heart can be pulled away from doing things "as unto the Lord" and settle for simply getting things done. And when that happens, I can tell you, this Martha isn't very merry."
I had to agree with what the author wrote here. The day looks like there are a hundred and one things to accomplish and then there are the inexhaustible interruptions and it becomes a matter of all I can do to just get it over/ crossed off/ and finished..... those are the days when I am more likely to just be cranky because I am exhausted instead of seeking the Lord early in the day before I start my chores and being joyful as each one is finished....There can be a big difference at the end of the day after the last meal is cooked and the dishes are cleaned up as to whether I am in a sour mood or whether I am shining brightly inside because of having been in fellowship with the Lord throughout the day.
A Discouraged Heart....."Weariness creeps in as life overpowers us. It causes us to say and do things we would never consider saying or doing otherwise. Discouragement breaks down our perspective and our defenses."
I have to step back sometimes and catch myself. if I find I am really taking the children to task, I need to look at myself, have I been faithful in seeking the Lord to ask for His assistance or have I been going too long trying to do it all by myself....When I try and do it all by myself, it never works, I get overwhelmed, frustrated and it is bound to come out somewhere and my children don't deserve to be on the receiving end....Take preventative measures and seek the Lord often.
There were three tidbits at the close of this section that I am sure some of you have come across at one time or another, I know I am no exception....
"Have you spent much time under the broom tree of salvably? I have. It's easy to find a shady spot and feel sorry for ourselves when we're distracted and discouraged. Especially when we run up against unexpected opposition. Especially when it feels like we're running for our lives."
"Or perhaps you're more familiar with the broom closet of isolation. Failure seems imminent, and it's easier to hide than face life head-on. So we pull our shredded confidence around trembling shoulders, cover our heads, and beg to be excused from the regular business of life. We're downhearted and downright depressed--and all because of discouragement."
"When we're distracted and discouraged, tired and overwhelmed, there is no better place to go than to our Father. He alone has what we need. Don't snivel under a broom tree. Don't hide in a broom closet. Go to the Lord and let him sweep away your discouragement."
Here were five strategies to fight discouragement.
1. Allow for rest stops. Discouragement is often our body's way of saying, "Stop! I need rest." Try taking a nap or getting to bed a little earlier. (Exodus 34:21-Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest: in plowing time and in harvest you shall rest.)
2.Get a new point of view. Take a few steps back and ask God to help you see his perspective on your situation. Often what seems to be an impassable mountain in our eyes is only a stepping stone in his (Isaiah 33:17 Your eyes will see the King in His beauty: They will see the land that is very far off.)
3. Have patience. It's easy to get discouraged when things don't go the way you planned. But if you've committed your concerns to the Lord, you can be sure he is at work, even when you don't see his hand (Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.)
4. Mingle. Discouragement feeds off isolation. Get out of the house! Go visit some friends. It's amazing how good, old-fashioned fellowship can lift our spirits and chase away the blues (Psalm 133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for Brethren to dwell together in unity!) Post your ideas in the comment section for ways to enjoy fellowship....I have a few and will post later as well.
5. Set the timer. Okay. So things aren't so good. I've found it helpful to set the oven timer and allow ten minutes for a good cry. But when the buzzer sounds, I blow my nose, wipe my eyes, and surrender my situation to the Lord so I can move on (Ecclesiastes 3:4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; A time to mourn, and a time to dance;)
This section closed out with this final scripture: The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Deuteronomy 31:8
I thought these were great ideas to not fall into the spiral of Deadly D's....if you have some tried and true ideas please post as well in the comments!!!
Further on in the Chapter there is a section Lord, Don't you care?....
"God didn't seem to be answering my prayers as he should. "Ask what you will and it shall be given you," he had promised, but I felt as if someone at the pearly gates was marking my prayer mail "return to sender."
"Please." I paused a moment, as if giving my petition time to make it to heaven."
"How can I know you're real if you won't answer one little prayer? I'm desperate, but you're silent. I'm angry, but you don't seem to care."
Those scenario's seem all to familiar in one way or another, I have either been there or heard someone talking about a similar situation.
Here was the answer....The Father had heard. The Father had answered. Not in the way I'd asked, and certainly not in the way I'd planned....But he had wrapped me in his arms."
God is always there walking with us just as it says in the Psalms, he is always listening, and He always responds.....we need to step out of the moment step back and see how God responds and not expect that it will be the immediate answer to a situation that is presently upon us...the answer may come in a different area of our life!!
We are down to the last 3 sections of this chapter... Doubting God's Goodness was next on the page.....
"Doubting God's love doesn't require tragedy. It can creep into the everyday just as insidiously, just as dangerously. It happens when our will is crossed, when our needs are ignored, or when we, like Martha, are stuck doing the dirty work while everyone else is having fun.
Now, such doubt in itself is not a sin. It's simply a thought or feeling that springs up almost involuntarily. But when we let it lodge in our heart long enough, wedged tightly like a poppy seed between our teeth, that little doubt can become a big problem. For doubt, left unchecked, can fester into unbelief. And unbelief, my friend, is not only sin--it's deep trouble. When we no longer believe in God's goodness, when we no longer trust in his care, we end up running away from the very Love we need to live."
Asking Questions------
First, we can bring our needs to Jesus anytime and anywhere. "Ask and it will be given to you," Matthew 7:7
Second, Jesus really cares about what concerns us. "Cast all your anxiety on him," 1 Perter 5:7
Finally, Jesus loves us enough to confront us when our attitude is wrong. "Those whom I love," says the Lord, "I rebuke and discipline" Revelation 3:19.
The Answer To The Question---
"The fact is, until we stop doubting God's goodness, we can't experience God's love. We must stick around long enough to hear the sweet reassurance of his answer.
Rest assured, God will answer. He longs to reveal his love to you. But you won't find it by shaking your fist in his face. You won't find it by barging into his presence and demanding to be treated fairly. You'll find it by sitting at his feet and remember who he is."
This has been a wonderful chapter to read and there was so much more to it once I sat down and started typing this all out. Chapter 3 has even more nuggets to mull over and I hope you enjoyed what you read so far!!!
God Bless~~
