The One With Rest

Cripple coming through! Yep. Two Friday ago I bent down to pick up... something...and the next thing I know I was on the floor, and I stayed there for another hour. My back feels like... well.. pure pain. Crawled my way to the couch in the living room and stayed there for the night. Super.

The next morning my friend-with-a-heart-of-gold +priscilla novani came with painkillers and meds  and she drove me to church that arvo (with Jakarta traffic, this means she really, really, really, really likes me). Then she gave me a "don't you dare jumping and breaking your back" stare-down the whole time during worship. Gotta love true friends!

Ok. Now to the main point.

At that time, Jakarta was flooded. Heavily. And if you ever know me I would be the first one to jump in the first opportunity to help. The church set up a refugee center/food bank for the flood victims which is totally awesome. The thing is, well, I can't even WALK properly. Urgh.

Here is the thing with me. I love doing stuff. I just do. I always joke that my "calling and purpose" is to make other people life's better. Which sometime doesn't end up well because a certain group of people translates that into "I am your servant, whatever you do is my command" which usually doesn't end up pretty.

Anyway.

In the last couple of year God has and still is showing me about how I let what I do define who I am. He is telling me that even if I am not "busy" doing stuff for Him, He is okay with that. God is telling Martha that it's ok to be Mary-because He loves them both THE SAME.

I always thought God loves Mary more. She is the lovely, calm, gentle lady who is sitting under her Lord's teaching while Martha is this hardcore, head-strong Xena the Warrior Princess who is running around like a headless chicken trying to fulfill everyone's need-and still misunderstood! 

But I don't think Jesus misunderstood Martha. Or her love language (act of service, obviously)

Jesus didn't say that what Martha did was wrong. He was simply saying that it's ok to rest. It's ok to stop. It's ok to change or have a bad day. Jesus is saying to Martha that even if she stop and sit on Jesus' feet, He still loves her - even if that means He will have to skip lunch that day. 

The story about Mary and Martha is often preached with Mary being the hero and Martha being on the wrong. When I revisit this story, I somehow hear Jesus saying.... "Martha, come here! Put that down! I know you wanna be close to me like how Mary is now. Stop doing what you are doing. BE with me. I love you. I don't care about lunch or a clean house. Mary is getting the best portion and I want you to have that too!"

I love that His love is so unreasonable. That He loves us even though. He can take our burdens, our pains, our demands, our tears and our joy at ease because He is the I am. 

He can handle us. He can handle me.