Martha, Martha!

But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?  Therefore tell her to help me."  And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.  But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."
Luke 10: 40 - 42 NKJV

This week has certainly been a eventful one here in the Pacific Northwest.  Not only are we in the middle of a health crisis (or so it seems) in our country, but this morning I awoke to snowflakes sticking to the ground.  Of course, the local weather gurus hyped this up during the week to include a few travel warnings on account of those few wayward flakes.  The schools are closed, many government offices have shuttered their doors and it seems that more people than ever have seemed to find a few more things to fret over.  Of course, I have no doubt that there are more than a few Christians out there who have prayed to Jesus to help them through this time.  I prayed the other night as well.  Not for help, mind you, but for clarification.  I prayed that Jesus would remind me of what it is He was trying to accomplish through all of this hysteria.  I have often marveled that all too many people, when their backs are to the wall, suddenly find the desire to call upon God for help.  This goes to the popular Christian narrative that we are somehow separated from our heavenly Father and that He exists only to help and to judge His children.  This, of course, is flawed thinking when we dig deeper into scripture.  The apostle Paul tells us in Galatians that we are not separate from God at all.  On the contrary, it is Christ Jesus who is alive and well in us today {Galatians 2:20}.  Yes, IN us, not in heaven watching and waiting for us to mess up.  Knowing this would certainly ease the fears of more than a few people.  However, this truth of Jesus is seldom told but for a few voices in the wilderness.  My first thought as the recent COVID 19 scare broke out was not one to run to the local Costco and stock up for doomsday, but to wonder what it was that Jesus was trying to accomplish through all of this.  Of course, I've seen this before, we all have.  This past winter, a few days of below freezing temperatures brought out every weather geek in Portland with a worst case scenario forecast.  As if on cue, people flooded the stores, clocked out of work early and ran home to hunker down.  No snow arrived.  If God indeed has a sense of humor, and I believe He does, I believe that He is somewhat amused by all of His children scurrying about in abject panic.  Of course, I also believe that He is filled with compassion for those whose worries overtake seem to overtake their lives.  We can see this in Jesus' words in the sermon on the mount.  Jesus spoke to His audience in a way they would comprehend that their worries were misplaced.  He mentions the birds of the air, who never sow what they eat, yet God feeds them {Mathew 5:26}.  He mentions the flowers of the field for those who were worried about what to wear.  Indeed, God has clothed them beautifully {Mathew 5:29}.  Bottom line, Jesus knew that being worried was not a good thing for us physically and emotionally.

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.  sufficient for the is its own trouble."
Mathew 5: 33 - 34 NKJV

I am one of those voices in the wilderness.  One of those voices who tells of the indwelling Christ.  Along with a few friends and a few noted Christian authors, the truth of Christ in us is told.  However, the problem with this is, I still worry from time to time.  This doesn't mean that I've forgotten who it is that I am, only that I have retained a bit of my human side as well.  Of course, it never fails that when I am overcome by my worries, that it affects me physically as well as emotionally.  I believe that the person who originated that old saying worrying oneself sick knew what they were talking about.  I also believe that there are more than a few people in this this country who have become so worried over the latest virus scare...that they themselves become sick.  It's no secret that worry can reduce our own immune qualities as well.  For it places undo stress on the body.  However, this is who we are and how we were created.  I don't believe that blaming God for creating us with all of these human emotions is the right thing to do.  Remember that we were created in His image {Genesis 1:26}.  Remember also that we are all that Jesus is {Galatians 2:20}.  We know that, being flesh, that Jesus indeed felt the emotions of His human side as well.  Did Jesus ever worry?  I believe that He did.  If I do...then you can bet that Jesus did as well.  What in the hell would Jesus have to worry about?  Bullies, discipline, you name it.  Everything that a young boy worries about, I'm sure that Jesus encountered.  In fact, I would suggest that it was because of the negative affects of His own worries that He taught others not to worry.  Jesus knows that we have better things to do with our time than to waste it on worrying about what MIGHT come to pass.  This is why I often pray and ask Him what His intentions are in a situation before worrying about what may happen.  Of course, I don't always take this approach.  There are times when, like Martha, Life can get so overwhelming that I wave that white flag of surrender and give in to my own worries.  Of course, I can always count on Christ Jesus who is in me to provide a calming voice to all of my fears.  He's been there, He knows how I am.

~Scott~