Mary's Heart.....

I can't even begin to tell you how terrible this week was. Normally, I know I am an upbeat, positive blogger, but this blog is my therapy after all and I just have to tell you, the week was terrible. It seemed like there was one thing after another.

Last night, I started the book, "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World" by Joanna Weaver. It is based on the scripture from Luke 10:38-42. In these verses, Jesus stops by Martha's house for a visit. While Martha is running around the house trying to get everything done for His visit, her sister Mary, is seated at the feet of Jesus listening intently to His teaching. Martha can't keep her mouth shut and complains to Jesus, basically tattling on Mary for not helping her and basically wants Jesus to make Mary help her.

I am only on the 3rd chapter but already God has spoken to me. I am so much like Martha. I run around here and there and have my mind going in gazillion different directions. It's ironic how the world wants us to do more and more and more and "Be all you can be", yet He tells us to "Be still and know that I am God".

She points out three things that satan uses to turn our focus off Christ. They are:
*Distraction
*Discouragement
*Doubt

Nothing fancy, just simple ways for us to lose focus on our Creator, and Lord of our lives.

I have given much though to this in the last 24 hours.

Distraction-A prime example is the kind of work week I've had this week. There were a gazillion things that happened. Anything that could go wrong, did, but not just once, it went wrong over and over and over again. When we focus on the problem instead of the problem-solver, satan has successfully distracted us from our Heavenly Father.

Discouragement-Who feels like jumping up singing, "If You're Happy and You Know It" when everything is going wrong? I sure don't. That is the farthest thing from my mind. When something is wrong and you deal with it over and over, it tends to grow bigger and bigger and that is ALL we focus on. We listen to satan tell us nobody has it worse, nobody cares, this will never end, etc, etc.

Doubt-Have you ever gone through a trial and wonder where God is? I have. I've told you that before. When He doesn't work in the time frame we want or the way we want, we doubt WHO He is and WHAT He is. We think He doesn't even care.

She explains the strategy satan uses is relatively simple yet very smart, get people's eyes off Him by focusing on their circumstances. We relate our happiness to the happenings around us, instead of The One who made us and our relationship with Him.

That is what happened to me this week. Satan used all the things going on around me to get my eyes off God. He wanted me to base my happiness on what was going on around me instead of how God had worked inside me, in which case I wouldn't have been too happy.

I am thankful God is who He is no matter where I am or what I am feeling.

Nan from 5 Moms and a Blog shared some verses with me yesterday. They are from Job 23:8-10

But if I go to the east, he is not there; if I go to the west, I do not find him. When he is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him. But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.

See, even when I can't see Him in any direction I look, He knows where I am. That's all that matters.

When I want to KNOW and UNDERSTAND, He simply wants me to TRUST.

Mary was found sitting at His feet listening.

I need to spend more time at His feet listening.


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