Relief for Type-A personalities

Oh, the things I could have titled this post. In fact, I almost renamed my blog this week "Free Therapy" because I tell you what, this girl was heading down the path of overload.  I was tired.  I was grumpy.  I was mad at my husband for leaving on a business trip on a Sunday morning.  It's rained for 48 hours straight and the slugs are literally tail gating around the slug pellets I dropped.  (OK, husband... I'll admit...you were right; never buy the cheap slug bait.  Why is it that sometimes you can buy the cheap version of something and it's the same?  Like food coloring...or bottled water?)  Anyhoo, that was not in my notes.

Okay, so back to needing to vent... I was foggy, in a funk and emptied about 1/2 box of Banana Nut Cheerios straight out of the box into my mouth, funnel style.  Things were not going well.  To add gasoline on the fire, I decided to hop on Craig's List and see what kind of part-time jobs there were for a mother of three boys who really, at the end of the day, felt like she had no current professional job skills.  This led to feeling antiquated, idiotic for taking myself out of the workplace and totally vulnerable to the fact that if I chose to go back to work I was more fit to teach Preschool instead of some "rock-star-esque" profession.

Well, we all know that led to more Cheerios down the esophagus.  Jesus help me.

He tried.... my husband called at about that time and I asked him to pray for me.  He asked "why?" and it's as if the ice dam featured in Frozen Planet burst because I word-vomited for about 6 minutes straight...beginning with our children's inability to just follow directions without negotiating like they are union members onto our toddler protesting naps and finally landing on "I really have no skill set for the marketplace and I'll never find work again" complaint.

Oh yeah... I was a gem.  Anyone been there?  I swear my husband should have pulled the "babe.....tunnel..... can't....hear..... hanging.... up." cell phone trick.  But he didn't, loving and faithful mate.... he offered to pray for me before his cab ride ended.  It's a good thing that God's word doesn't return void because man, I was so offended that he cut off my rant so he could pray for me that I barely heard a word he said.

"God...shower her with her love...blah...blah"      "Show her how valuable she is"...yeah, yeah...yeah... valuable enough to not even have the taxes done for 2011... or pay the right amount on our land loan.... how bout them slugs?"

But....  (and by the way I'm so sorry hubby)

But God.

You see he was preparing my heart for the message I was going to hear the very next morning.  In hindsight... once again, Jesus causes everything in his plan to work together.... from the Cosmos flowin' as it should to ensuring I didn't hear this week's message until my ears were ready to receive it.  (Translation... my heart was ready to receive the message... my eyes were blind in self-pity but NOW they were ready to be opened up to the truth.)

If I were you, at this point I would really be praying that I would get to the point...because all this expectation is falling onto this message...this sermon...this incredible revelation!!!  You ready?  Oh wait, you are going to need a bible.  I'll wait.

Okay, go with me to Luke 10:38 and read through 10:42.  If you tricked yourself and DIDN'T go get the bible (as I probably would) then here it is: (New Living Translation)

³⁸ 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. ³⁹ Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. ⁴⁰ 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.”

⁴¹ But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! ⁴² There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

So now that you have the passage...let me apply my "previous" interpretation of this passage:

• I'm a worry-wart
• I need to stop "doing, doing, doing" and spend more time "being, being, being"
• Since my mind is constantly thinking about what needs to be done while I am trying to just "be, be, be" then obviously I can't even do that right!
• This passage blows, I hate it and it brings on self-condemnation

I, would like to propose to you this very mind-blowing revelation for all of you multi-tasking men and women out there... for all of you who look at people who seem to be "floating down the lazy river of life" with disgust or who, like me, get hives when people start telling you to "slow down, be more like Mary!" well, this one's for you!  (Thank you Pastor Judah for the interpretation)

• Mary came over to hang out with Jesus so she's not the one hosting.  How many know when we aren't hosting, we are more than likely enjoying the company of others?
• Mary isn't wired to be a Martha... her default is not to jump in and get things done...she's not a multi-tasker.  Martha, is, however, a "doer."  She's in there cutting up pita chips and making hummus for Jesus and company.  She's hosting...doing what she does best... ALL OF IT!
• One is not "holier" or more valuable or loved by God.  What Jesus is saying to Martha is that  Mary has figured it out...be what you were designed to be, don't try to be someone else.  Don't worry that you are in the kitchen, unseen... you are just as valuable to me.

Oh my friends, that was some powerful medicine that I needed to hear.  God sees all of the mundane in my life and he tells me not to worry...if I 'm stuck in the kitchen or telling my toddler for the 19th time to lay down in his crib instead of reading my bible from dawn til dusk or feeding the orphans or changing the world as the President of my company...I'm still important in God's eyes... I'm still adored and loved by my God...I'm still valuable!  

Jelly-stained t-shirt with hair that was washed last...oh, never mind... you get it... you ARE STILL loved and adored by your creator.  Don't limit him by thinking he doesn't know what season you are in!  He KNOWS if you don't wash the whites that your whole family will go w/o skivvies!  He knows your kids don't just magically teleport to soccer practice...those mundane Monday reports don't just create themselves and that we're not all rich enough to afford self-cleaning toilets.  He knows.

He knows.

Rest easy, my fellow Martha's.... wear your "I am a doer, a multi-tasker and apple-slicer" rally cap with pride.  He sees you.  He loves you.  You were created to help the world turn round.

How much do you have?

We sure do a great job of blocking out all of our time, don't we?

Seriously, we fill every waking minute with something.  I don't suppose for a minute that its the same for everyone... my husband world is filled with work obligations, baseball coaching, Y-guides, fitness, yard responsibilities, etc.  My world starts with preparing three TOTALLY different breakfast meals, making sure library books are returned, homework is signed off, etc.  Then it is onto managing the social calendar for 5, paying bills, potty training, packing snacks for baseball practice, swim lessons and so on.  God bless the full-time working mother who wakes at some ungodly hour to shower and shave before her little ones are up!

But we do...we fill our days so busy that some of us are scheduling dinners with friends NINE WEEKS OUT.  For goodness sakes.  (Oh, that is us too.  Whoo...that was convicting!)

This week I am reminded of our obligations as I "batten down the hatches" for the Sunny Hills Elementary Ice Cream Social.  Not really a massive event, if you will... more of a social gathering that coincides with the Young Authors Night but nonetheless, one that requires my time because, well,
I "oh remember that great idea?" signed up in August to Chair the event.

At this point in the game, I hope you read my "Are you an Angry Bird?" blog entry (see archives to the right) because it was written shortly after I volunteered to be in my son's Kindergarten classroom.  Why did I sign up to chair?  Oh, some self-inflicted sense of needing to be involved in my children's school... after all, isn't that what all suburban stay-at-home-moms do?  My neighborhood bus stop represents 1/3 of the PTA,  I swear to goodness, they volunteer for everything! I must do it to fit in w/ the ladies!  And at this point in the planning process of the Ice Cream Social, I want to commend these women for all they do.  Much like children's pastors, and teachers; "Thank GOD ALMIGHTY for being gifted and called to serve youth." (So I don't have to.)

I haven't even shown up for the Ice Cream Social yet but the amount of organizing (and did I mention its a pizza feed too?) and orchestrating required for this event makes Barnum & Bailey's ringmaster job look tame.  Seriously, the paperwork make it look like I am requesting to hold a rock concert inside the White House.  And the Petty Cash form?  I'm pretty sure they dusted for fingerprints.  (But hey, since I'm normally all fired up about government waste, I should be proud that the Issaquah School District is VERY SERIOUS about cash!  Thank you for stewarding my tax dollars!)

That was the windup, here's the pitch:

I realized this last week that it wasn't so much about "I ought to, I should" when it came to signing up to chair this thing as it was more about "I can."  I can.  I can pull off a pizza/ice cream event.  And I"m  happy to do it.  Here's why.

Gathering and delegating (aka being bossy) come naturally to me.  God resourced me with these giftings. Used for GOOD, they make the world a better place.  And how many know we need a better place?  I also have time.  God gave everyone the same 24 hours...this is a resource that is evenly distributed to the rich, the poor....the smart and the...well, you get it.  So while I can fill an entire day with "stuff," I can also  back off of my Facebook "likes," stop surfing the web for kids bathroom decor and let the laundry go for a day while I work to make my local school that much better.  Host an ice cream social...build community.  And isn't that what it's all about?

Who doesn't want to be in a better community?  Build a better world?  Do our part to create "one accord?"

There is a cost.  It's called a generous heart.

Like Hillsong's senior pastor, Bryan Houston explains, "You can't have all the ease without any of the burden."  But God doesn't want us to serve with a pouty, grumpy attitude.  How many of us know that will send our kids to their rooms when they finish their chores while their stomping their feet or grumbling under their breaths?  No, God desires that we serve and give with "happy hearts" because we know that to make the world go around, we must live in the tension between "ease and burden."  And so we give....

For some, it means whipping out their credit card or their billfold.  I love it!  That we should all do our share to make sure no one goes without.  But remember that we have more than just "financial" resources...God has equipped us abundantly so that we can give away our:

• knowledge
• expertise
• listening ear
• belongings
• time

I am sure there is a bigger list and we haven't begun to scratch the surface!  We have so much to give....everyone, I mean everyone has a capacity to give.  It might start with two small mites, but if you give that, I guarantee your capacity to give will increase!  

It has been so fun when you work in a spirit of a giving attitude; watching a team come together JUST for the sake of building community at our elementary school... amazing!  It makes me stop and reflect just how much goes into some of the events or projects that we get to simply "walk in and enjoy."  What about a conference?  A theatre production?  An auction or fundraising event?  Your child's Sunday school program?

Be generous.  Pay it forward.... give of yourself without the expectation of "getting."  The crazy thing about God's way is that what is given out in a spirit of generosity always comes back to bless you even more.  But we give because we can.  Just because we can.

Dear friends, I hope I have inspired you in some way to get quiet and see what comes to you... I hope that you'll spend a few moments this week to be inspired to give in a new and fresh way.  The world will not be the same for it!