Yes, we all want to breathe. Not just survive our days, but take deep breaths. Live fully. Savor. When we rise each morning, we breathe in before stampeding through the day. At night, we exhale in exhaustion. Never taking the time to be still and breathe in.
We know things need to change. Something needs to change in order to make our life more still. To make room for breathing in and finding time to seek God we must first have.
Where do we begin cultivating a heart of rest?
Let’s start with a tale of two sisters…..
These sisters have been examples for two thousand years. They’ve been Sunday School flannel graphs, sermon illustrations, and taught in almost every women’s Bible study I’ve ever attended.
Mary and Martha.
You might have heard it all….you might have never heard of them at all…
A special guest comes to town. Jesus. One sister is serving. One sister is worshiping. Which is better? Why all the fuss over two sisters?
“Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:38-42
Mary shows us a life of being still is first and foremost a choice. It isn’t about personality traits. Martha’s love language wasn’t “acts of service” while Mary’s was “words.” It wasn’t just the way Martha and Mary were wired. It wasn’t their predisposition. It was a choice. And I’m not so sure we should condemn Martha. Jesus did not rebuke Martha for her acts of service, but rather her “anxious and troubled” heart.
Being still begins with choices. Mary’s choices {to sit, listen, worship, and focus on Jesus} led to her peaceful heart. Martha’s choices {to stay busy, standing, working, distracted by the details, and worrying about the house} led to her anxious heart.
Anxiety is a sign of a life not making the time to Be Still. And yes, Jesus DID condemn an anxious heart.
I’m not so sure we need to be one sister over the other. I’m not so sure we need to chose worship over service. We need both. We need both sisters. If we neglect one, though, it is usually Mary. Today is the day to be still. As the month progresses I want to share with you more practical ways you can make room in your schedule and life to being still.
It begins with a choice. Choose five or ten minutes to close your eyes. Pray. Put on earphones and take a break from life right now and read God’s Word. Maybe just a verse. Or a chapter. Don’t think about yesterday. Or last week. Or this past year. You can do better TODAY. Your life is never too busy to be still. You can’t wait for this “season of life” to end in order to find time to be with Jesus.
Today. It needs to start with a choice today. The actions will lead to a heart attitude. Martha was anxious and troubled because she made the wrong choice in that moment. Mary’s heart was at rest because she made the conscious choice to sit at Jesus’ feet and listen.
What do you need to CHOOSE today, in order to BE STILL?
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I have to laugh, Sarah, because I’m next to you in the #RaRaLinkup, and my post is on practical ways to start changing something by doing–making a choice to DO and yours is on making a choice to REST. Funny because they’re opposite, but they both involve making a choice, denying your flesh and what you would prefer over what is best. Lovely post. Thanks for hosting. I’m new to Tuesday Talk-glad I found you!
We need BOTH (doing and resting)….such a hard balance. Thanks. I loved your post as well! Thanks for sharing.
I do agree that we all need a balance of being still and being busy. Sometimes it’s so much easier to be still, yet sometimes it’s so much easier to be busy. Recognizing where/when I’m doing more of one than the other and how I’m actually feeling within myself is an important first step in regaining some balance between the two. As I’ve heard before, I sometimes need to recognize when I’m being a “human doing” instead of a “human being”. 🙂
I love that, “A human being” and a “A human doing.” We need both though, don’t we! Some seasons are busier than others, but it doesn’t mean that our heart cannot have rest and peace. Thanks for reading!
Amen, Sarah. It is a choice. My day is so much fuller and my thoughts less anxious when I take that time. Thanks for this reminder today. Blessed to find you at Kelly’s.
Thanks for reading Abby….may we ALL make the choice today to rest!
I need such a reminder to be still…in this crazy world especially. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Sarah for your timely post. Right now I am in a place where I need to BE STILL and wait upon the Lord. My dog has been ill for several days, and I need to wait for the new meds to kick in. In the mean time, I have been “Martha-ing” and fussing over her, wondering what I did right/wrong, can I change the course of her recovery, etc. To say that I am anxious is an understatement. I keep trying to put it before the Lord, but then I go back to fussing, think what if. Trying to be still and know that He has got this.
Laurie, I’m so sorry about your dog. I pray she feels better soon. Thanks for reading.
Hi Sarah,
Wonderful post! Thank you for hosting! Wishing you a good week ahead.
Kim@huntandhost.com
being still today as a 30y/o mommy friend met Jesus this morning.
Being still begins with a choice. –> LOVE THAT. Such wisdom here. Thanks for linking up at #ThreeWordWednesday.