March Madness

For me and most people back home, March Madness usually refers to basketball, but this year, it has developed a completely new meaning.

With a lot of events to plan, the pressing thought of what comes next, and the weeks disappearing before our very eyes, the stress levels of each person on the team have massively increased. It seems like every day we get to the office, we all have a long list of things to do and a jam packed schedule. Being a Team Leader, there’s always something new for me to do. I sometimes laugh when people ask me, “hey, are you busy?” because it’s almost like my answer never changes. Even attempting to schedule different things like hang outs with the youth, or supper at one of the parishioner’s houses, it seems like there’s absolutely no free day or evening.

The other day during prayer, I felt really called to read in Luke. So I opened up my bible and found myself reading the story about Martha and Mary. Here’s a little run-down of what happens:

Martha opened up her home and welcomed Jesus. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside Jesus’ feet, listening to Him and all he was saying. Martha spent the majority of the time busying herself with serving and cleaning, as was the custom for women.

At one point, Martha gets really frustrated and asks Jesus, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.”

At that, Jesus replied, “Martha, you are anxious about many things, there is only need of one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”

My immediate reaction when I read this was, “aw man, I’m the Martha.” *face palm* But after much more reflection and prayer, I realized that maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing. See, I think both Martha and Mary are two very different examples of what we as NET missionaries, or even as Christians, can potentially act like.

I think we often busy ourselves with all of the things that have to get done so much that we forget to be present. Sometimes I find myself being like one of the sisters that would go to Mother Theresa saying “I don’t think I’ll have time to do my holy hour, I’m too busy”, to which she would respond “Then, you need two holy hours.” Martha lost sight of the opportunity she had to sit at Jesus’ feet and just spend time with Him, and we too, can find ourselves ‘too busy’ to give the Lord our time.

On the other hand, Mary was so lost in Jesus, sitting with Him, listening to Him, just being with Him. It is so beautiful that she humbly gave Jesus the simplest, yet most meaningful gift: her time. I know I find that I feel the most loved when people spend time with me. The times that I feel close to God are when I just spend hours with Him in the church, or in prayer. I sometimes can get so caught up in prayer that I end up losing track of time.

              When that happens, I, like Mary, lose sight of my responsibilities. If I just sat in the church all day and didn’t do any sort of planning for youth nights or writing talks, it would probably be complete chaos when it came down to it, or there would be no youth night. Just like if Martha had not been there to do all of the serving, nothing would have gotten done because Mary would’ve been lost in conversation.

Our ministry actually calls us to be both Martha and Mary. We have to be present with God and our youth just like Mary, but we also have to be responsible and serve like Martha. Even though I find it easier to be more like Martha, it’s not that I should just stop and be like Mary, I just have to find a balance of the two.

There’s a reason for every aspect of our ministry. All of the youth nights, the hang outs, student calls, anything relational. But also everything that’s behind all of that. Meetings, schedules, writing talks, advertisements: every single part matters. Without it all, we couldn’t effectively minister to the youth. We couldn’t bring souls to Christ, and that is why we’re here.

Even as March Madness settles in, with all of our events and busy schedules, when it’s easy to get caught up in ‘work’, but also when it’s easy to get caught up in just being present, I have to remind myself why I chose to serve God this way in the first place. To give someone the experience that was once given to me, to tell a lost soul about the love the Father has for them. To give God only a portion of what He has given me.

“I don’t just want to give God great glory, but the GREATEST glory.” –St. Maximilian Kolbe

              Blessings,
                      Kat - iNFUSE 1,
                      Swift Current, Sk