SWEATING THE SMALL STUFF.....
Luke 10:38-42
38Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
39And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.
40But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
41And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
42But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
I recently started reading Don't Sweat the Small Stuff--and it's all small stuff by Richard Carlson
I wondered if this was a book specifically for women, because a womans life is all about the small stuff. A quote from Chapter 1 " When we are immobilized by the little things-our (over) reactions not only make us frustrated but actually get in the way..... We lose sight of the bigger picture, focus on the negative and annoy other people who might otherwise help us. In short we live our lives as if they were one great big emergency. We often rush around looking busy, trying to solve the problem, but in reality, we are often compounding them. Because everything seems like such a big deal we end up dealing with one drama after another."
I have a long "To Do" list. I look in the mirror and expect to see a supermodel and I am highly disappointed when I don't see her. Queen Elizabeth I, in her later years banished mirrors all together from her castle,she said that she would judge how well she looked by the reaction of the people around her. So everyone smiled when they saw her, how enlightening that must have been. I struggle daily with trying to organize myself, my husband and my dog. I make lists, shuffle papers and I still find myself behind, always running to catch up. I have become so overwhelmed that I can't move forward. I find myself asking "Who can help me with this?". I have talked to several friends but they can't help. I can't even make my husband comprehend it, he thinks that I blow everything out of proportion to the problem (if there is one). He may be right. He says that I complain too much, and I told him that it may seem as if I am complaining, but in reality I am carrying on a constant dialogue, trying to find an answer. I saw a sticker that said; "I wasn't born a complainer, it took hard work and dedication".
Lately I have been going back and forth in my mind concerning my responsibilities in the church. My callings, I have 2ish, the Relief Society Assistant Secretary and Visting Teacher. I take them seriously, but sometimes I feel that I am the only one who does. I feel like my RS calling is a DIY opportunity. Every month I am totally stressed out over trying to contact my VT sisters. Will they answer the phone or screen the call. Can I come over, is there anything I can do for you. Sometimes I feel like driving by their homes and throwing a rock with the lesson tied to it. Maybe I will just mail it out instead.
This morning my head was buzzing, so I got up (at 1:25 am, with a 4:30 wake up call looming) and I looked up these scriptures about Mary and Martha.
Luke 10:38-42.How awesome it must have been to have Jesus come to your home. I can identify with Martha. I have had people over that I wanted to impress. I spent the entire day cleaning and cooking and making things perfect, only to be so exhausted by the time my guests came I couldn't even carry on an intelligent conversation.
My husband has taken the "Mary" role many times and got to participate in great conversation while I was busy serving. Jesus was so loving, so very cool to Martha. He actually invited her to sit with her sister Mary. Can you imagine him, gently taking the bowl from her hands,putting his arm around her and saying, Martha you are so stressed out, a sandwich would be fine, but first come and sit, rest, listen. He said that to me too as I read this at 2:00 am this morning. Only one thing is needful, come unto to me and I shall give you rest.
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