The juxtaposition of Mary and Martha

My theme for 2011 is "do less, more fully" yet despite my intention to focus on fewer activities, ministries, people, and to go deeper and become more thoroughly connected in each area, I find myself continually called to do more - with the result that my daily life looks more like "do more, less fully". Lent provides me a designated time for re prioritizing. It would seem that this holy season would point to a renewed effort to take on less. Or does it?

In the familiar story of Mary and Martha we see Jesus encouraging Martha to do less and to fully engage with him. He does not indicate that Martha's service is wrong, merely that she needs to listen and hear first and foremost. Active service flows naturally from a place of connection God. The "heed" comes from the hearing and processing of His call. In discipleship we move from the pose of silently waiting to the place of receiving instruction and lavish love from the Savior, and then we move to our feet and begin to offer our very selves in service. We first must simply "be" and then we are empowered to "do".

"Listening without doing becomes a mockery of the Word. Doing without listening degenerates into busyness of no purpose. There is a time to go and do; there is a time to listen and reflect. Knowing which and when is a matter of spiritual discernment." The Difference, CARY G. SPEAKER

Perhaps my desire to do less more fully has less to do with the number of activities I am involved in and more to do with the order in which I place them. Could it be that investing in my relationship with God would result in the capacity to actually do more? To say "yes" to God in an even more grand scale?

For today, Lord help me to simply be. more.
And then for faith to trust that you will supply all that I need as I respond to you with "yes" and do. more.