Sitting in the Middle of the Mess

I tend to consider myself a "Martha" type personality. And I don't mean Martha Stewart. By now, that Martha probably had her hand-made cards mailed out, 10 batches of candy made and gift wrapped and her entire home decorated.

No, I'm nothing like Martha Stewart. In fact, this year I haven't even managed to decorate the tree. It's up and, because it's pre-lit, it has lights. It does have some gifts under it, because my dear children kept looking at me with those big hopeful eyes, asking when I was going to wrap SOMETHING. But that's it.

This is the end of one of the most stressful years of my life. I'm thankful that nothing devastating has happened to my family. But the demands on my time have exceeded my actual available time. When that happens, I get behind ... on everything. And so I spend lots of time just trying to keep my head above water. Back to Martha.

For those of you who know the Luke 10 story of Martha and her sister Mary, that's the Martha I'm talking about. And it's not a flattering comparison. This Martha had the privilege of hostessing for Jesus. Jesus actually came to her house. Instead of sitting at His feet, like her sister Mary did. Martha worked and actually complained to Jesus that Mary wasn't helping her enough.

Jesus gently chides Martha, and affirms Mary's choice to sit and spend time with Him. In the middle of all the work that had to be done.

So yesterday, I decided to sit in the middle of my mess and spend time with Jesus.

Normally, I feel as if everything has to be clean before I can "treat" myself to some down time. I believe I have to have the dishes clean, counters cleared, urgent emails addressed, laundry going, home-based business checked for orders, etc. By the time I've done all that, something else has demanded my attention, and my time with Jesus is neglected - much like what happened to Martha.

But not yesterday. I sat at the kitchen table and looked at my mess. It was big. There were papers strewn over every surface, a lunch box left on the counter from the day before, breakfast dishes everywhere, jackets from yesterday, blankets that had been left on the couch, dog fur forming balls, and the list went on. I had to fight my instinct to get up. And I won.

I sat in the middle of my mess, and spent time with Jesus. I pictured Him sitting across the table from me. It was pure pleasure ... and the mess amazingly faded from my view. My stress melted away, and I felt renewed.

This Christmas, whether you've gotten your house decorated or not, whether you've mailed out cards or not ... Jesus has come to your house for a visit. Will you choose to sit in the middle of your mess, of will you miss His visit?

In His Amazing Love,

Glynnis

P.S. Last night we had an amazingly simple and delicious dinner. I made Balsamic BBQ sauce and put it over salmon, which we grilled. The egg rolls were a great complement to it, and I sauteed sliced zucchini in olive oil and sea salt. Here's the Balsamic BBQ sauce recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_36958,00.html