Peace Amidst the Chaos

Jesus and his disciples are on their way to Jerusalem when they come to the village, the home of Martha and her sister Mary.

Martha and Mary are thrilled to see Jesus, warmly welcoming him and the disciples with open arms.

Jesus and his disciples are thankful to have a place, a home, to finally rest their weary feet from their long journey through the barren deserts of Samaria.

As the disciples and Jesus recline, Martha hurries to the kitchen to begin preparations.

She wants to make the perfect meal for Jesus. She wants to give him food which will sustain him through the rest of his journey to Jerusalem.

Her heart swells as she begins to get out the pots and pans, the flour and the yeast, and a smile lights her face as the kitchen comes alive.

Mary comes outside with Jesus and his disciples to sit in the garden, bringing a basin of warm water and gently washing Jesus' dusty feet. She drys them with a towel, placing the basin aside when she finishes to sit at Jesus feet and listen to him speak, looking up at his kind, loving face.

Jesus and the disciples recount their journey. They speak of people who have listened to Jesus, believing wholeheartedly that he is the Messiah, the Son of God and Man, and their eyes are lit with dancing joy.

They tell of those who have shut their doors in Jesus' face. Those who have refused to believe and plugged their ears against his soft, loving words. Those who have shuttered their hearts against the truth which is brought humbly to their doorsteps.

The kindness shining in Jesus eyes as he speaks reveals the love he has for them all, even those who bluntly refuse him. Even those who curse and mock him. Even those whose hearts wish to kill him.

Mary listens to it all, drinking in his words, gaining sustenance and wisdom from them. She wants to learn from Jesus. She yearns to always listen to his voice; to sit at his feet and to be in his presence, for his presence is one which refreshes and rejuvenates her. His presence is one which brings her a glorious, inexpressible joy, and such soothing, wonderful peace.

Martha is also listening to the voices. She can see them sitting in the garden through the open shutters above the counter where she stands.

She likes listening to the accounts of their adventures. She loves listening to Jesus' wise teaching. Jesus' voice seems to cause the whole home to breathe a sigh of contented relief, for his words and presence radiate peace and hope.

Martha wishes she could go outside to sit with Mary and fully listen and hear what Jesus is saying, but someone must prepare dinner.

As the kitchen begins to get more and more busy, as more food is thrown into the stove, more dough is rolled out, more ingredients are sprawled across the counter top, stress begins to form in Martha's stomach. There is so much to do!

She glances once more out the window at Mary sitting docile, raptly looking up at Jesus face as he speaks. Why can't Mary help me in the kitchen? Martha thinks. Why must I always be the one to do all the work and Mary gets to be the one to sit around?

Angry sweat begins to bead on her forehead as she works, frantically moving about the kitchen as she tries to see that everything is perfect.

She doesn't listen to the wisdom and teaching just outside her doorstep anymore, like a refreshing stream just within her grasp. Instead, she closes her ears; all she can hear anymore is the drone of voices, grating on her nerves which are beginning to stretch taut.

The kitchen only seems to get busier and busier. More hectic and frantic. Stress and anger build, mingling together as they seep through Martha. She sucks in an angry breath. Mary could be in here helping her. Mary should be in here helping her.

Picking up a towel and then angrily throwing it down, Martha stomps to the kitchen door, throws it open and bursts into the garden.

Furious she addresses Jesus, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"

She glares down at Mary as Jesus stands up and looks at Martha with compassion, offering her a lesson out of her frantic anger and preparations, "Martha, Martha," he says, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

(Luke 10:38-42)

Martha gets so caught up in the whirlwind of her preparations; she wants to make a wonderful meal, the perfect meal. She wants to ensure Jesus is refilled, welcomed and loved in her home. She wants to make sure he can rest and eat. She loves him, but her motives are mistaken.

She thinks that he wants food, but what Jesus really wants is fellowship.

She doesn't realize that Jesus would be wonderfully happy with a small meal, even no meal at all!

What he really wants is to spend time with Martha. He wants to be able to teach her and speak with her in warm fellowship.

He wants Martha to sit with him and listen intently to his words, not half listen and hear from another room and then get swept up in her busy work.

He wants her to be able to learn. For food might last for hours or even days, but his words and teaching will last forever.

Time spent with him will last and sustain her more than any food can.

He gently reminds Martha of this by softly reprimanding her for worrying and becoming upset over her many activities and preparations. He shows her Mary, sitting cross legged on the ground, looking up at Jesus, her eyes shining with the love and calm peace that Jesus has poured into her. He tells Martha that Mary has chosen what is better, fellowship, time spent with him.

It will not be taken away from her. The busyness of life, a meal, preparations, will soon disappear, but spending time with Jesus, listening to him, learning from him, that will never be taken away.

Martha failed to see what Jesus really wanted from her because she got so caught up that she became too busy to spend time with her Lord.

Sound familiar?

I know it does for me. Sometimes I cruise through the entire day without even spending any time at all with Jesus, except for maybe one quickly uttered prayer before a meal.

I get so caught up in the hectic rush to get out the door in the morning, feeding my cat, feeding my bunnies, seeing friends, being in class, getting home, doing homework, doing chores, studying, practicing piano and on and on and on.

It is so important to spend time with Jesus, and often being busy can carry me away.

Jesus reminds Martha that she is worried and upset over many things, something I often need a reminder of as well. He tells her that Mary has chosen what is better, something which will last, something which will not be taken away.

Like Martha in the kitchen, perhaps the world feels a little chaotic during this season.

It can seem as if outside our houses in which we're quarantined, there's a whirlwind, a whirlwind of sickness, fear, dread of the unknown, uncertainty, exhaustion, isolation, rioting, anger, rage.

The whole world has been swept up by this pandemic, and most recently, racism.

But even if this pandemic is everywhere. Even if protests, rioting, anger, discrimination and racism is everywhere, Jesus is everywhere too.

The world seems dark and oppressive. It seems chaotic.

But Jesus is in control, not the pandemic, not anything else, and he will always be in control.

Like he reminded Martha, he doesn't want us to get caught up in the chaos. He doesn't want us to stop listening to his voice. If anything, we need to listen more to his voice during this time.

He wants us to come out into the garden and sit at his feet. He wants us to come into his presence and spend time with him, listening to his voice and learning from his wisdom.

He wants to give us peace.

"If you want to get warm you must stand near the fire: if you want to be wet you must get into the water. If you want joy, power, peace, eternal life, you must get close to, or even into, the thing that has them" - C.S Lewis

We can't find peace by focusing on the chaos or getting caught up in it, because if we get caught up in it, we're not close to the thing that has peace, Jesus!

By coming to him, by gaining peace, joy and hope; this also enables us to better reach out to others and show them Jesus' love, his grace and his wonderful hope.

He calls us to come into his presence, to spend time with him.

So come out into the garden. Come sit at his feet. Come drink in his life-sustaining words and his sweet presence, and he will give you peace.

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6 Ways You can Study God's Word and Meditate on His Word in a Deeper Way:

Below, I've listed some ways you can spend time with Jesus and think on his word attuned to what you enjoy and your hobbies, which can help you meditate on his promises and his word in a deeper way. Using our gifts like music, writing, art, athletics, learning, etc, helps us draw nearer to Jesus. But most importantly, reading God's word and praying allows us to most impactfully spend time in his presence. Of course try my suggestions below, even try out some of the ones you might not think you're good at! But never forget the importance of God's word and of prayer.

1. If you are someone who enjoys art... like painting, drawing, colouring, or word art, there are so many great ways to use your talents while meditating on his word! Even if you don't like art or you think you aren't good at art, give it a try anyway! Verse art like drawing or painting something to represent a verse, doing pretty lettering for a verse or even combining both brings God's word to life! You can even do art in the very pages of your bible! Try checking out the website, Gods Fingerprints, or their Instagram page for some inspiration!

2. If you are someone who loves journaling or writing... prayer journaling is a great way to spend time with Jesus! I find that when I write down my prayers, it helps me focus better, and it draws me closer to Jesus, bringing a new depth to my prayer. Writing down your prayers can also help you to get stuff out of your mind, and it's a good way to give up your worries up to Jesus. Also journaling your thoughts after reading scripture helps enrich your understanding and lets your mind ponder and wonder at God's word. Even try taking a story from a piece of scripture such as the story of Sampson, David, Lazarus, Caleb & Joshua or another favourite biblical character, and writing it in a more dramatic way! This can help bring it to life and enable you to understand it better.

3. If you are someone who loves being active or if you love nature... try going for a prayer walk through nature, or even a jog, if you can focus while running. Talk to Jesus as you walk or exercise, and thank him for what he has given you and the joy you find in exercising! Enjoy God's beautiful creation, and marvel at all the exquisite detail he puts into everything. Something you will notice when you read of Jesus' life is that Jesus often went into the wilderness when he wanted to rest and when he wanted to pray; nature has a way of drawing you closer to God and showing you his characteristics in all of his beautiful creation. In the silence of nature, you can hear God's voice and feel closer to him.

4. If you are someone who likes music... try learning some worship songs on an instrument you play, sing a worship song or you can even come up with your own worship song if you like! Try looking at Musescore for sheet music for many different instruments to thousands of songs. Or try listening to worship music while sitting in your favourite spot outside or inside and really ponder and think about the lyrics; try to grasp the meaning of them and meditate on Jesus' promises and love that the worship songs speak about. Even try writing down your favourite lyrics in a journal and then writing about what they mean, how they make you feel or how they impact you.

5. If you are someone who loves to learn, or who likes science and facts... try exploring the Answers in Genesis website which has numerous interesting materials on Christian apologetics and creation science! It's awesome to learn about science from a Christian world-view perspective, and Answers in Genesis has a lot of great material to look through and learn from like why does creation matter, age of the universe, millions of years, when did dinosaurs live, rock layers, and many many more. As well, if you search up Christian Apologetics on podcasts, there are plenty of interesting podcasts on the Christian worldview, creation science, and more.

6. If you are someone who loves to read... try checking out Audible, which has a wide range of books, including the Christian genre, that you can listen to, which is especially helpful during this time since not all libraries are open. One of my favourite authors, Francine Rivers, writes powerful stories which exhibit themes such as forgiveness, love, redemption, overcoming fear, staying strong in the faith and seeking God. Reading stories depicting Christian characters' lives and their struggles is such a wonderful way to gain a deeper understanding and to see in action who we're called to be as Christians and living a life serving God. I recommend all of her books for you who love reading, but my favourite series, Mark of the Lion, I find to be particularly touching and powerful. And even if you don't love reading, I have a feeling you will still enjoy Francine Rivers' books. As well, you can check out her blog for more insight and writing! Another good reading source is Rick Warren's daily devotional; which provides daily reading and insights.

Most importantly, read God's word, the Bible, and pray. Don't just skim over the words though, and if you want, don't just read over it once. Take the time to really ponder the words and think about the meaning, marveling at God's promises and his unconditional love woven throughout the entire book. Highlight your favourite verses, and write notes in the margins if you like! Even try reading in multiple different versions. Different versions can shine new light on a verse and make you understand it in a completely different way. Try checking out YouVersion, which has a ton of different versions that you can read any book of the Bible in, or, if you have the app, you can read on there. Plus, YouVersion has many different devotional plans which helps you understand passages of scripture or concepts better.

And pray. Find a spot that you like, then sit or kneel or stand and talk with Jesus; tell him your worries and anxieties, your thoughts and your ponderings, your thankfulness and your gratitude. Ask him for his guidance, his peace, his forgiveness, and pray for others too, and as you pray, listen to him. Let him speak as you sit in his presence. He will restore you and fill you with his peace.

Though this world might seem chaotic, Jesus wants to fill us and strengthen us, and when we are strengthened, that's when we can truly make a difference in the world and hold out Jesus' love and grace to others.

Jesus calls you to come into his presence; he calls you to come out into the garden, for only he can bring peace amidst the chaos.