"The Devil Made Me Do It"

Allowing yourself just to be who you are, is often very difficult in our western culture.  The pressure to improve your image is constant.  The enticement of social media, facebook, twitter, linkedin and by advertisements to conform, project an image, look slimmer, smarter, or to find that perfect job or mate is overpowering at times.   Often we feel the pressure, placed on us by our peers, family or colleagues to maintain the status quo; accept certain old out dated traditions or conform to group opinion.    Question: When you were growing up did anyone ever coach you into doing something that you didn’t want to do?  What was the result?  2.   Have you ever compromised your own principals to satisfy someone else or the status quo?   Do you remember how that made you feel?

Readings: Psalm 52 Colossians 1: 15-28  Luke 10: 38-42

The story we heard about Mary and Martha in the gospel of Luke this morning is often our story is it not?   Who is right and who is wrong in this situation comes to mind?   I knew a young boy who, when chores had to be done, instantly he would make his way to the wash room for a time.  Sound familiar?  Chores are not always seen as fun things to do.

Others might see Martha as overbearing and bossy, wanting to control the situation by laying a guilt tip on Mary.  You know the old saying; Idle hands makes for the devils workshop.  Martha seems to think Mary should know her place.   What’s wrong with you girl, don’t you understand our obligations here.?  A question to think about here folks might be this:  Is there really a right and wrong here or, is it all about choices? 

 I suppose that if I were to ask all of the ladies or gentlemen here today if these statements sound familiar, I would get a nod or two.    Martha gets so frustrated that she asks Jesus to settle the matter.  But, Jesus doesn't help at all and gives her an answer she is not really looking for.   Mary has chosen what is best for Mary.   How often do you compromise yourself and do not do what is best for you?  May I suggest that it is because you do not know yourself well enough yet.

Folks, I going to challenge you this morning asking you to examine your choices for coming to church today or why you are taking time out to read my blog.   We all come well aware that we are going to spend time with Jesus RIGHT!   

We all come to talk with God and to open ourselves up to the Holy Spirit, to learn something new about ourselves from the wisdom of the text RIGHT!   
We all come to unload our burdens and recharge our batteries for the weekly battle. Right!   Well, unconsciously this might not be the case with all of us.   Some may have come strictly out of tradition.  Others come out of duty, it is something we have always done.  Some may have come out of curiosity, just to see what I am going to say, sing or do next. How many of us come like Martha, finding it hard to take a time out of our buy day for Jesus.  Find it hard to give our full attention to God and His word.  Many of us come with unfinished business on our minds, often pre-occupied with things to do the minute we leave the building.   I think many of us are programmed to ONLY FEEL WORTHY when we are busy doing.    Regardless of the reasons why we came, I am glad you came because I believe God wants us all to learn something about ourselves from this story.

I believe the story or Mary and Martha is not about who is right or who is wrong,  worthy or unworthy, nor is it about obligation.  I think Jesus is offering us a deeper meaning here and it is all about our choices.  In examining our choices in life, we can be enlightened and get to know our true self much better.      

I have said this before and I will state it again this morning, one of the hardest things I have ever to do is to be up front honest and truthful with myself.   If I cannot be true to me, about who I am, about my needs, my hopes, my past, my dreams how can I be truthful with others?  Being truthful to self is no easy task folks, especially if you do not have the wisdom of knowing and accepting your strengths and your weaknesses.  Being truthful will cause you to look deep within which helps you to choose what is best for you.  Jesus tells Martha, Mary has chosen and because it is right for Mary, here choice will not be taken from her.    

Often we choose what we think we want or need, only to be disappointed.  But, whatever the choice, it should be fruitful, and the fruit of our choices gives us an opportunity to get to know ourselves better.   Choices were not meant to destroy my life or my relationships with others but should begin to tell me something about who I am, and what is right or wrong for me.  Please note I said for ME here.  I may want to point out right from wrong for others but my true need is to find out what is right and wrong for ME.  We need to let others be, so they too can work it out for themselves.  Sometimes we choose to please others because we don’t want to cause a fuss nor do we want to be seen as a disappointment to family or friends.  Other times it is because we don’t want to be misunderstood as being selfish.  Then there are those among us who just cannot hand out an appropriate no, or even an appropriate yes.  I do believe that is because we are not fully aware of our true self.    We are instructed by Jesus to love ourselves so we can offer the same to a neighbor.  In the parable of the wheat and weeds, Jesus teaches us about judging others.  In Matthew 13: 24 -30 the field workers are instructed not to pull up weeds that were planted among the wheat less they pull up some wheat by mistake, suggesting that we do not have the wisdom or authority nor the understanding to distinguish who is right, who is wrong, who is bad or who is good.   We are to see the choices we and others make as learning curves that teach us more truth about who we really are and what we have or have not learned from our experience.   Folks it is all about choices.  

So then, Mary has made a courageous choice for herself here.  It wasn't the traditional one and many would disagree with her through some form of assumption or judgement.  But because of her “COURAGE” to go against the status quo and spend time with Jesus she will begin to get to know herself better. 

In both cases neither is right or wrong.  One sister is struggling with this situation more than the other, because Martha insists she knows what is right for Mary, she breaks one of the cardinal rules of self-awareness.  You can never really live your life fully through another, nor can you change anyone except yourself.    In fact the only YOU, you really need is you, and the only person you should change, is YOU.   As crazy as it may sound IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 

Any person who doesn’t understand this teaching, will always want to control and change others.  It’s a given folks.  Jesus understood this truth and when we choose it, it will not be taken from us either. 

We have a struggle when it comes to letting the other person find and fill their own need, letting the other person just be who they are.  Every persons needs are personal and if they go unfulfilled, their lives becomes boring dependent.   If you look closer you will see that the real problem lies within the person who is trying to control everything as was Martha.  Look closely and you will see that one of her struggles is, her inability to accept herself as she is, not as the servant she truly wants to be.   You see Mary recognizes her need, and she is willing to go for it, regardless of the results, be they a positive or negative learning.  The fact that Jesus commends her, this should tell us something about her choice.  You see it is not about who’s right here it is about knowing yourself and testing the waters of your own needs.  It’s about having the courage to say an appropriate no, or yes, even if it goes against the status quo.  It’s all about learning about yourself first, then, you will begin to understand others.  If you do not know and understand yourself well, you will never know or understand others well either.  We need to be reminded often, of this deeper wisdom teaching.     Love yourself just as you are.