Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Three Word Wednesday: Be Like Mary {Guest Post}


Oh friends, I'm super excited today to share with you my dear friend Joanne. If I could do cartwheels I'd be doing them right now. She is a delight. She is all kinds of awesomeness. I was so touched by her excitement when I asked her to guest post for today's Three Word Wednesday. While I told her she did not have to write about Thanksgiving, I'm blessed by the words God placed on her heart to share with us.

This is her first time guest posting so please give her a warm welcome. After reading her post be sure to go visit her website: Days and Thoughts. You must get to know this fabulous lady who has a big heart for God.

Much love to you all.
Beth

Without further ado, here is Joanne...

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It has continued to amaze me that my two granddaughters are so different from each other. I knew that my two children were different from each other but expected that as one is a boy, the other a girl. But with two girls, sisters, I thought they would be more alike.

So it should be no surprise at my interest in two Biblical sisters - Mary and Martha. They were pretty different from each other as well. Jesus took note of it. Luke made sure we knew the details.....

As the disciples were traveling, they were welcomed into the home of these two sisters. Martha, who had extended the invitation, was hustling about preparing a big dinner. Mary, we are told, sat at the Lord's feet. Martha gets a little peeved when she notices her sister is not helping her at all with the preparations. And she complains to Jesus...

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, NIV).

Martha was doing exactly what women in that day would have been expected to do ... prepare and serve the meal. She was the one who had opened her home. Surely she had to recognize the amount of work that would be involved for preparing a meal for Jesus and the disciples. It was a pretty good size group. And men have good appetites! She seems to want Jesus to tell Mary to get up and go give Martha some help.

But He doesn't. I have been stuck on what Jesus responds to Martha for weeks now.....

"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." (Luke 10: 41-42, NIV).

For whatever reason, the last few days I have pondered why Jesus did not tell Mary to go help her sister. One would almost have expected He would. Rather, He gently puts Martha in her place and affirms Mary. Given that it was Jesus and His disciples and Mary was joining with them, it is almost as if Jesus was saying this,

Be a disciple.

A disciple learns the ways of another. They are trained by the Teacher. They adhere to their teachings and doctrines because they know Him. They become like their teacher or mentor.

I think He would say those very same words to us today. We can so get busy with activities, good ones at that, and mistake that to be relationship and time spent with Him. But that is not what He wants from us. He wants us to take the time to be with Him. To learn His ways. To be a disciple.

As we get busy with Thanksgiving and family preparations, may we think about these two sisters. Martha was distracted with the preparations and missed the most important which was in front of her. Jesus pointed out that Mary had chosen to pause and spend time with Him. He tells us that she made the better choice.

This Thanksgiving may we remember to make the better choice. For it will always come down to choice and the choice is ours.

Be a disciple.
Make the choice.
Be like Mary.

(photo courtesy of Tria Giovan/www.countryliving.com)

Joanne
Website: Days and Thoughts
Twitter: @JViola79


Now it's your turn to share three words.

  1. Choose three words.
  2. Share a post, photo, scripture — anything that highlights the three words you have chosen. (link up your post URL, not your blog homepage).
  3. Family-friendly posts only. Anything else will be removed.
  4. Grab the Three Word Wednesday button on my home page to use in your post or include a link back to my blog.
  5. Find someone (or a few) to encourage with a comment.
  6. We can also connect on Twitter with the #ThreeWordWednesday hashtag.
  7. Don't have a blog? Share your three words in the comments or on my blog Facebook page.
  8. Help spread the word and get others involved.

23 comments :

  1. Thanks, Joanne (and Beth!). Beth, have I told you what a good idea I think your Three Word Wednesday is? Well, it is!

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    1. Amy - I so agree with you. I love this linkup! I find myself thinking in terms of 3 words all the time now :)

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  2. Joanne,
    I enjoyed reading your guest post at Beth's place! I am trying to purposely be more like Mary this Thanksgiving (and Christmas too)...to do less and BE more! What joy it is to sit at Christ's feet and get to be His disciple!
    Blessings,
    Bev

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    1. Thank you so much, Bev. It is so easy from now until the end of the year to get swept up in "doing". I so want to be more intentional to make time for Him & to give Him my focused attention. May you & yours have a blessed Thanksgiving!

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  3. Oh wow, Joanne- I totally wrote about the same sort of thing in a completely different way:) I never thought of this passage in terms of discipleship before, but it really makes sense. So often we try to turn discipleship into doing, instead of following. What a brilliant insight- thank you for sharing it with us today at Beth's place:)

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  4. Thank you so much. I cannot even express how deeply it hit me that Christ would prefer our time and attention. I am going to go read your post now too :) Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

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  5. Joanne
    What a great post especially for me. That is the first Scripture that spoke to me when I became a follower of Christ. I read Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World. Oh this book just did it for me. STOP it say and turn towards Jesus. Stop running. Stop doing. Just be with Him.

    And I did. I still run but I must fill up first. And I keep Him front and centre all the day. So much better. More joyful.

    My first non-published book is called A Better Way. And that was the name of my first blog.

    So wonderful to hear your words.
    Blessings,
    Janis
    If you remember please link this one at sunday Stillness next Sunday. It is a great one.
    Thanks Beth for the guest post.

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    1. Janis - Thank you so much for sharing this with me. There are no words to tell you how this encouraged me that I heard correctly as to what to write for this post. Thank you! I am grateful that this post blessed you. May you & yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
      Blessings,
      Joanne

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  6. What a beautiful reminder as we head in to Thanksgiving. This can be such a rushed time of year, the choice is ours how we will honor HIM and our family.

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    1. I think we will only slow down as we do it intentionally. And that is what I am truly trying to do this year. Intentional slowness :) Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

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  7. Dear Joanne
    Oh, I think we are all a bit like Martha and the older brother in the parable of the prodigal son. They both couldn't understand how Mary and the brother could just find favor with God while doing nothing to deserve it and both became quite irritated that their hard work was not recognized or commended by God. But this is not His way, my friend, for He tells us in Acts 10? That He is not served by human hands; He is the One who served us by becoming a Man, paid fir our sins, gave us His new Life and lives in us and through us daily. All we need to do is abide in Him and receive His grace moment by moment.
    Blessings XX
    Mia

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    1. Mia, thank you so much for sharing! Yes! May we receive His grace moment by moment. May we abide in Him, each moment.
      Blessings,
      Joanne

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  8. Joanne, so happy to see you here at Beth's today. I will carry your 3 words with me into the crazy Christmas season... thanks for the charge. Sit at his feet.

    Happy Thanksgiving :)

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    1. Lyli - And I will carry yours with me, seriously - "sit at His feet". Now may the Lord seal that in my heart. Thank you so much for sharing here!

      Happy Thanksgiving to you & yours!

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  9. Thank you for this today! It is so easy to be Martha because our society expects it. To be like Mary is out of the norm but so needed. As silly as this sounds I hope that I am more like Mary tomorrow since my desire is to truly spend time with my family and in turn honor God. I chose to buy a pumpkin pie rather than make one from scratch for the very reason that I don't want my preparations for the meal to take away form the few precious moments that I desire with my family and God. Thanksgiving blessings to you!
    Mary

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    1. Mary - I LOVE that you bought your pumpkin pie. Seriously! That so spoke to me. It is as we are intentional in simplifying things that we will be loosed to have more time with those we love. I don't remember where I saw it yesterday, but on someone's blog, she had the most beautiful table set with all paper goods. It looked to be like out of a magazine. Truly. It was beautiful. We can do it as we are intentional. So glad that you shared.

      Happy Thanksgiving!!!

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  10. Such a beautiful and honest post!! Thanks for the reminders!! Have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving!! :)

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    1. Thank you, Amanda. I truly am trying to intentionally slow down & concentrate on what is most important. I needed the reminder myself - most of all.

      Have a most blessed Thanksgiving!

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  11. Hi Joanne,
    I loved your post :) I love the Mary and Martha story for the very reason you wrote above. God often seems to place me into situations as a Mary, to help my Martha friends to slow down and be still.
    Thank you for sharing with us today
    God bless

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    1. Anita - You make a beautiful point - The Mary's need Martha's & the Martha's need Mary's. How beautiful the Body works in conjunction with one another to bring about growth. Love this thought. I a thankful this morning that you shared!

      Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

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  12. Joanne (and Beth!)
    Thank you for sharing this today; definitely something to think about as we go through the motions of putting on a huge feast and catering to family and friends! We must focus on the blessings and amazing grace of our Father, and keep Thankfulness in first place!

    Blessings and love for a Happy Thanksgiving!
    Denise

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  13. Hi Beth! Just dropping by to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. I have so much to be grateful this year, and that includes your blog-friendship. I appreciate your visits and comments, and reading about your life.

    Enjoy your day :)
    Ceil

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  14. Beth and Joanne, I'm a little late in reading this as I've been a on a bit of a hiatus. But even still this is a timely read for me as when move into celebrating the Christmas season. Thank you Joanne for pointing us to choose the higher thing. So grateful for two of you. Many blessings.

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