[Don’t miss the free cheat sheets and journaling guides at the end!]

Have you ever felt like you’re constantly juggling a million things at once, just trying to keep up with the demands of life? Yeah, me too. And that’s why the story of Jesus, Martha, and Mary hits home for so many of us.

As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:38-42

Picture this: Martha’s running with her hair on fire, making sure everything’s perfect for Jesus and his crew, while Mary’s just chilling at Jesus’ feet, soaking in every word He says. Can you blame Martha for feeling a bit miffed? I mean, someone has to make sure everything’s taken care of and a meal is prepared, right?

But then Jesus says something like this: “Martha, Martha, you’re stressing out about way too many things. Mary’s got the right idea, focusing on what really matters.” Ouch. Talk about a reality check. For the longest time, I totally empathized with Martha. I mean, who wouldn’t?

We live in a world that praises hustle and productivity, so it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking our worth is tied to how much we do and how well we do it. But here’s the thing – it’s not about the hustle. It’s about the heart.

I’ve been there, and maybe you have to. Guilty of chasing after that ‘pat on the back’ approval, or struggling with inner turmoil and insecurities that I didn’t want to talk about because I didn’t want to face my brokenness. Instead…I chose to avoid the ‘pat on the chair’ – come sit with Me moments.

Jesus Offers a Different Perspective

He invites us to step off the stage of performing for validation and find rest in His presence. He reminds us that our value isn’t determined by what we do, but by who we are – beloved children of God.

He invites us to come sit so He can read to us and stop avoiding the hard conversations. When we surrender to the ‘pat on the chair’, He reminds us that He already knows all about it and He’s here to heal it – not call it out and judge it.

Too Busy Seeking Validation to Sit with Him

Like Martha, I have believed the lie that my worth is determined by what I do and how well I do it.

• If I throw the perfect dinner party and set the perfect table, people will value me.

• If I keep a perfect house, people will value me.

• If I volunteer, people will value me.

• If I join this organization, people will value me.

• If I raise perfect children, people will value me.

• If I stand out at work, people will value me.

And even…. If I strive more at church, volunteering, doing good things… God will value me more. Sigh…

It’s not that doing well, serving well, or being excellent at what we do is a bad thing.

It’s that it can become our focus, our idol – pulling us away from conversations with God.

Avoiding Hard Conversations

Busyness isn’t always about validation. Sometimes we keep ourselves busy to avoid hard conversations. When we’re wrestling with hard topics, we might use distractions as excuses to not have time to sit with God because we aren’t ready to get real and raw with Him. For me, there was a time when busyness kept me from having to get face to face with God and deal with the things He wanted to reach in and touch so the healing could be applied.

What’s Your Martha Moment?

So, what’s pulling you into the whirlwind of busyness today?

Are you chasing after approval, trying to prove your worth?
Are you avoiding a hard conversation, choosing busyness over healing?

Trust me, I get it. But maybe, just maybe, it’s time to take a page out of Mary’s book and prioritize what truly matters – spending time with Jesus.

Because in His presence, we find the peace, the rest, and the validation our souls crave. So let’s stop hustling for our worth and start resting in His love. It’s all about living with our heart on fire, not our hair on fire!

Letting God Read to Me…

I’m sharing a glimpse of the conversation I had with God when I let Him read this verse to me, but don’t stop at just eaves dropping on our conversation… be sure to follow the conversation guide below and have your own ‘pat on the chair’, ‘read to me’ conversations with God this week.

Try putting your name into the blanks as a conversation starter!

[_], slow down – I’ve been waiting for you. Come sit with Me. I want to read to you.

me: I planned to God but you know all the things I have going on today. If I sit down now, I’ll be late for everything!

[_], I know your schedule. I know the events of the day. I also know what you don’t know about this day. We need to talk before you go out into all of it. Come sit with Me. I want to read to you.

me: How about I do xx first and then I’ll come back to sit with you when I’m done.

[_], you are worried and stressed over all these details! And [_], there’s also a conversation that’s weighing on you and making things so much harder than they need to be. Come sit with Me. I want to read to you.

me: ***surrender***

[_], Trust Me. I’ve got this. Most of all, I love you.

Every Sunday I’ll share a verse and a conversation/journaling guide designed to help move from reading scripture to ourselves and more into letting Him read it to us.

This week, sit with Him and enjoy a conversation over Luke 10:38-42

Sit with Him Sunday

Day one:

Write the Word

Explore different translations of the featured verse.
Write several translations of the verse that speak to you.
Meditate on the written scripture and ask the Holy Spirit to bring your attention to what He wants to talk about.
Circle words that stand out to you, call to you, or speak to something you want to hear more about from God.

Day two:

Explore the Word

Using a bible resource, like biblehub.com, explore the words and phrases that you highlighted yesterday.
Look up definitions of key words.
Look up key or highlighted words in the original language.
Explore original language meanings
Write out related verses from other chapters in the Bible.
Make note of context or setting

Day Three

Learn From and Apply the Word

Meditate on the verse(s) and ask God to nourish you with His thoughts, insights and wisdom. Answer each question as it applies.

1. What does this word tell you about God?

2. What does this Word tell you about how you’re created, how God sees you, or what God wants you to know about who you are in Christ?

3. How is this Word speaking into your current situation?

4. What questions does this word stir up? Journal any new thoughts or insights revealed to you as you talk with God.

Day Four

Conversations in His Word

Write it as from you to God using personal pronouns.
Write it as from God to you using your name. This is God reading it to you.
Write it as a back-and-forth conversation between you and God.
- This is simply going back and forth using the 2 conversation styles above – inserting your name to hear God read it to you / inserting pronouns to respond to what God just read to you.

Just as you would with any other conversation between loved ones, ask questions, share concerns or fears, and let the His word guide the answers.

Day Five

Continue the Conversation

Today, review any journaling you did for the last 4 days. Read the verse aloud again as God reading it to you.

Sit with it.
Listen to hear anything else God stirs up for today’s conversation.
Journal and/or speak a prayer of gratitude for His word and the conversations you’ve had.

Printable Guided Conversations Journaling Pages

Let me help with this week’s conversations!

I’d love to email you a printable document to help guide you through 5 days of conversations this week. Complete this short form and I’ll send it to your email.