Having Restedness in Your Heart...

During IDMC, God spoke to me about this passage through Rev. Edmund Chan.

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"

"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the better, and it will not be taken away from her."

- Luke 10:38-42

Why did Jesus say that Martha was worried and upset about many things but only one thing that was needed? And why Mary chose that better part? My early understanding of the scripture would be that Martha was too busy serving and didn't spend time with Jesus. While Mary was smarter, she sat at the feet of Jesus, listening to him.

Why would Martha interrupt Jesus when Jesus was speaking to the crowd and ask him to tell the sister (who was at Jesus' feet) that she should come and help her with the preparation? She could have just quietly pulled Mary aside and asked her to go to the kitchen with her and help her finish the work. Instead, she made such a big commotion out of it.

Martha was distracted and had a wanting to be at the feet of Jesus but at the same time having the responsibility of serving the guests. Her heart was not settled and her heart was disturbed. "Martha, Martha", the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed."

What is that "one thing" that Jesus was talking about? It is about having a sense of restedness in our hearts! There is always a season and time for everything in our lives. Martha was distracted and her heart was not at rest. In his book, Build to Last, Rev. Edmund Chan clearly defines that we are, "running on empty. Often it takes a crisis, usually a painful one, for people to realise their emptiness. We live in a highly disoriented world that is profuoundly confused. We have confused achievements for authenticity. Credentials for credibility. Conceit for confidence. And the applause of men for the approval of God. When such weary pilgrims stop long enough to examine their unexamine lives, they find that they have been running on empty for too long -- so long that chronic fatigue is accepted as a way of life, and chronic busyness, as a status symbol. The vain reasoning is that an imprtant person is surely a busy person; therefore if I am busy, I must be improtant. And the busier I am, the more important I feel. Through all this, the soul is paradoxically restless and purposeless; under-nourished and empty."

We live in a performance-driven world where it's all about the good grades we get, the targets we meet, the goals we achieve. And sadly, this has been intertwined with the way we live our lives. Even in the context of church, we feel "needed" when we are involved in various ministries. We feel less important when we are just regular churchgoers. We have a desire to "perform". I tell you, the person who is truly rested in his heart is the best person to be. It's not about how busy you are, how much you are doing for the Lord. Mary has chosen the better, and it will not be taken away from her because she found a sense of restedness in her heart, knowing that she has a season for everything. However, this does not mean that we drop everything we do!

Let us reverse the situation of the Martha and Mary story a little. Imagine Martha is happily working in the kitchen. She knows that Jesus is outside preaching to the crowd in her living room. And she prepares the food with joy and peace in her heart. But on the other hand, Mary stops Jesus from his preaching and says to him, "Lord, don't you care that my sister is busy working and not sitting at your feet listening to you? Tell her to come and sit at your feet like I am doing!". What would Jesus' response be to Mary?

I believe it would have been, "Mary, Mary," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Martha has chosen the better, and it will not be taken away from her." There is a season and time for everything. And we should always find a sense of restedness in our hearts. You can be serving in church, while others are worshipping. But the Lord is pleased with you, because you chose the better part and it shall not be taken away from you!

This has been a revelation for me. When I first heard this, I told the Lord, "Lord, forgive me. Help me to remain small and secure in You. Give me a sense of restedness in my heart." You see, a man with a sense of restedness in his heart, is a person who is really attractive. One of the reasons is that you want to be close to him. You would feel refresh when you are beside him. What is also known as the "With Him" principle. Jesus called the twelve disciples to be with him. Jesus has a sense of restedness because He knew that He was doing the will of the Father. Crowds are drawn to Him not just because of His teachings but because of who He is!

I trust that God is teaching me day by day to be more humble and broken for His glory. If you were to ask me what was one thing that I have learnt from this conference. I would say, finding a sense of restedness in my heart. To find myself small and secure in the Lord. Ultimately, it's not about how good you sing, how good you pray, how spiritual you are, how well you speak in tongues (read my post on "His Imprint, Our Expression"), It's about having a sense of restedness in your heart. God might use you for His glory but it's not about YOU. It's about Jesus and His finished work! Sometimes, I tell people, "Oh, I'm being mentored by so-and-so" and there is always a sense of pride that takes over. But I asked God for forgiveness. I told the Lord that I would gladly have someone mentor me who is not known in church. I do not want to be caught in this celebrity status thingy. I just want to be small and secure in Jesus. However, I thank God for my mentor and I thank God that he has made a difference in my life. Thanks Pr. Chris!

My prayer for you is that you would find a sense of restedness in your heart. Having the full knowledge that Christ has died for your sins, past, present and future. I pray that the Lord would help you to be small and secure in Him. That you have chosen the better, and it will not be taken away from you. Continue to press on and make His glory known!