Self-control is not an easy thing, especially if it’s not something you want to do. I want to still be able to eat anything I like as I did when a young girl but my body doesn’t behave the same way it used to.

I wonder how Mary learnt to just sit and not allow other things to distract her?  Did she struggle with learning self-control or was it a part of her natural make-up?  Was it possible that her desire to be with the Lord was stronger than anything else in her life?

Did Martha struggle with self-control, allowing other things to constantly grab her attention and therefore stealing precious time she could spend with Jesus? Or was it that she saw herself as ‘doing’ for him rather than ‘being’ with him?

When we are constantly busy we make little time for God, just thinking ‘I must get this done first’, or ‘I’ll just get that out the way’ and before we know it another day has passed and we still haven’t achieved what we wanted to get things out of the way for.

You know that feeling, don’t you?  So do I, and so I constantly strive to develop a routine for bible reading, for prayer, for reading other things relating to my faith.  I’ll go weeks and months in a routine and it all fits in nicely and then something comes along to upset it and I’m back to my old ways again, fighting to get that time back.

Mary had the right idea and I wonder just how much she went through, to feel that she could just sit down at the feet of Jesus, and soak in all He had to say and not worry about anything else.  Did she have in the back of her mind that she would go help in the kitchen later, after she had heard what Jesus had to say?  It’s possible - what woman doesn’t have other things going on in the back of her mind?

How much better do we feel when we just stop, sit down, be still and know our God?  I know, you know it, and yet we still let things get in the way.  Why not give it a try today?  Why not right this minute? Sit still, be quiet, let your mind go quiet, and then meditate on God’s Word or seek Him for what He would have you do right now.

They were his friends, along with their brother Lazarus. Both Luke and John corroborate this in their accounts in the bible. Martha was reported as being the head of the household so the natural assumption is that Mary was a younger sister. The family positioning alone would have contributed to their different personalities, i.e. the older and younger siblings. It is common for an older sibling to take control and run things and for the younger one to help or find something else to do. It’s also common for younger siblings to seek out something different to do so they’re not seen to be like the older one. At least in modern times that seems to be the case.

It is important that whoever we are, whatever we’re doing, we must remember our position in Christ and that He is also our friend. He has an interest in who we are, what we do, where we go, and what makes us happy and what worries us. And that the people around us are the ones we’re meant to be serving and helping. Because, after all, He is also within us and we represent Christ through our daily lives - whether we’re a Mary or a Martha. KMT

The breakfast was broken into 4 sections and one of the ladies spoke about time management and referred to Mary and Martha. She suggested that Martha’s comment/question to Jesus about getting Mary to help related to the fact that she struggled with getting things done and wanting to be organised. Seeing Mary doing something that perhaps she’d like to be doing, but couldn’t (because she felt she couldn’t), frustrated her and made her annoyed. The speaker suggested that sometimes we can put importance on things that really aren’t that important, or if they were, they might not be that urgent.

We aren’t told in Luke whether Martha had a schedule she was keeping to, but chances are she could have dropped what she was doing and joined Mary at Jesus’ feet and the two of them could have worked together later to catch up on whatever needed to be done.

How often are we guilty of placing urgency or importance on something just because we want to be orderly and organised? At the breakfast we even laughed at the fact that we like to have our beds made before we go out - is this a female trait or something we have copied from our mothers and older generations? For me personally I feel it’s about keeping the marriage bedroom respected but it’s true, if the bed wasn’t made one day, it isn’t going to wreck my marriage.

Sometimes we tend to blow things completely out of proportion and what we really need to consider is how missing doing something in favour of spending time with the Lord is going to affect our walk with Jesus. KMT

Martha, as the eldest would have felt the responsibility of running a home and taking care of her family. Jesus tries to teach Martha how to cope with her concerns and worry. In Luke 10:41-42 we read the following, “Martha, Martha, the Lord answered, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her.” (NIV)

What is the “one thing” that is needed? It is what Mary chose, to come and sit at the feet of Jesus. We, as busy Christian women need to constantly bring our worry and concern to Jesus. We need to exchange our worry for rest and peace. This sentiment is echoed throughout the Bible, in Matthew 6:33 Jesus teaches his disciples about worry and tells them to seek first the kingdom of God and all His righteousness and everything else will be given to you as well. Here with Mary and Martha we see the practical outworking of that teaching.

Like Martha, we need to be reminded of this truth every once in a while. When we feel burdened or worried about what lies ahead we need to come back to Jesus. We need to bring it all back and offer it to Jesus and exchange it for the peace and rest that only He offers us.