40 Days....Day 4....Dog spelled backwards

I am totally not a pet person. I am sorry to all you pet lovers out there who are reading this, but I have 6 children and I honestly know that I do not have time to take care of a pet too. Although I would enjoy the company on a walk or would love to have the resounding barking to scare off the crazy people who come knock on my door; I just know that a pet would probably send me into a meltdown. The author of our 40 Day Prosper Prayer Journey is Scarlett Lillian. She has the most adorable little puppy named Rhett. She tells of a story about how her dog sits at her feet and how their sole role in life is to serve their master. Man how I wished my kids would just sit at my feet like a dog sits at their master's feet. I can see them now. I would ask them to speak and give them a treat when they obeyed. Ok, a girl can dream!

In Luke we read about a set of sisters named Martha and Mary who later became friends to Jesus. Martha means 'lady of the house' and Mary means 'wise woman". Many churches refer to their character and actions when referring and teaching the role of a woman in the church.

Luke 10:38-42 "Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village; and a woman named Martha received 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 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; one thing is needful. Mary has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her."

If there is one thing I hope to pass along to my children is the gift of hospitality. If you have ever been to my home, I pray that you were welcomed with open arms, fed well, laughed until your sides hurt and were deeply loved. My husband and I decided long ago that if God blessed us with this home that we were going to use it to glorify Him. We've had people come and stay with us for various different reasons. Some have come for safety, others for shelter, but most all of them for hope.

After readin this scripture, I realize that I am a Martha. It's in my core to serve. I have service driven soul. It's who I am. I am the last one to sit down to eat and the first one to get back up to clean. I enjoy serving my family and anyone who lives in our home. It's almost like I am in this silent groove while I work in the kitchen. As odd as that all sounds, I also use cleaning to work out my frustrations. You can ask any of my friends or any one who has lived in my home and they would say, "You know when something is bothering Jamie because that is when she starts nesting." When I am working through something that has burdened my heart, I go on a huge cleaning spree. I don't know why, but for me, I find peace during those hours and I get a ton accomplished. I don't verbally speak out loud (because then everyone would really think I am crazier than I already am) but I pray and I speak to God about what ever it is that is troubling me. So I know that if Jesus came to my home, I would be a Martha. I would be cleaning and preparing and feeling this natural desire and need to serve Him.

But that being said....how I long in my heart to be a Mary. I pray with everything that I have inside of me that if Jesus ever walked into my home that I would drop everything and just run to His feet and surrendor all and listen. I wished I was more diligent about getting into God's word for personal growth. I prepare weekly for teaching the Children's Church Sunday school lessons; however, I am not good about setting aside time to dig into scripture purely to gain wisdom and understanding for myself. I let the busy day and the personal obligations I have distract me from really putting God first. This 40 days of Prosper Prayer Journey was exactly what I needed. Every morning I get up. I read the chapter of the book that has been assigned for the day and then I research and read the scriptures provided and then I pray. Then I take the time to really think about all that I read and apply it to my life while I go about my life. After my day is over and my kids are in bed, I come back to my blog and write.

I know that I struggle with setting aside time each day to put God first. Day in and day out, I do everything I need to take care of my family and my business. I work hard at being a good multi-tasker and I balance well, but reading this about Martha and Mary makes me realize that I have let my priorities get out of whack! Sometimes even teachers of God's word need a good smack in the face with the truth. I realize and I pray that I become a better student of God's word. I pray that God helps me become more of a Mary in a Martha world.