Wednesday Woman: Martha Of Bethany

Martha is a worker bee.  She’s the kind of person who always has too much to do.  Yet she keeps taking on more and more.  Somebody has to get it done!

In the New Testament, Martha of Bethany (and her sister Mary) are two of Jesus’ best friends.  And when Jesus visits their home, the text refers to it as Martha’s home, which is fairly remarkable.   Martha appears to be a property owner – an unusual position for a First-Century woman.  How did she become the head of her household?  We really don’t know.  She may have been a widow, or she may have been caring for younger siblings.  But we do know this – at the end of the day, Martha is in charge.  And she seems to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders.

If we brought Martha in a time capsule to the Twenty-First Century, I think she’d fit right in.  On any given day, most of us feel like if we don’t get it done, nobody will do it!  And, yes, like Martha, we are carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders. 

Last Sunday night, I collapsed after a long weekend of laundry, carpool, cooking, packing, unpacking, hosting guests, and driving my son to church camp.  My 7-year-old daughter, Anna, looked at me and said,

“Mom, are you glad you finally get to rest?  After all, you have to do everything!”

A girl after my own heart, I thought to myself.

All of a sudden, I could relate to Martha. I do have to do everything, don’t I? I wanted to give Anna a gold star for getting it right.  At least someone notices my effort!

Like Martha, we all crave validation.  In fact, when Martha was running around in circles trying to “do it all” it really irritated her that Jesus didn’t give her a pity party.  He didn’t even order her sister Mary to help.  Instead, he basically told Martha to lighten up.  

But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details.  There is only one thing worth being concerned about.”  Luke 10:41-42 (NLT) (Emphasis mine)

We know from the New Testament that Martha continued to follow Jesus, even after he told her to get over herself.  She probably continued to work hard to keep her household running, but more importantly, she learned that the one thing -- her relationship with God -- was more important than trying to do and be everything. 

Have you taken hold of the one thing?  Or are you still focused on everything else?

Wednesday Woman: The Bleeding Woman With Faith (and Fear)

I used to think that having faith meant you’re not afraid.  After all, if I really trust God, I won’t live in fear, right?

Then I read the story of the bleeding woman.  Yes, she had faith.  But she was also scared to death.

She had a hemorrhage for twelve years.  The doctors only made her worse.  And Jesus was her only hope.  So she reached out and touched his cloak in a crowd of people thinking,

If I just touch His garments, I will get well. (Mark 5:29)

Immediately, she was healed.

What recently struck me about the story – I had previously read it many times before – is that, despite her faith, she was still afraid.  When Jesus inquired, “Who touched my garments,”  she didn’t raise her hand and jump up and down.  She didn’t say, “Yippee, it was I Lord.” 

Even after she was healed, she was still afraid.  She was even trembling:

But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. (v. 34)

Did Jesus hold her fear against her?  Hardly.  Instead, he applauded her faith:

“Daughter, your faith has made you well.”

I’m thankful that faith and fear are not mutually exclusive.  In fact, I think they might even go together.  After all, if we’re going to ask God for something big – like changing a circumstance, opening a door that is locked shut, or healing an illness – we’re going to have to face our fears head on. 

If Jesus were standing right in front of you, would you be afraid?  Would you be trembling?  I know I would be.

But, the better question is, like the Bleeding Woman, do you have the faith to touch his garment?

This Wednesday, I’m praying for all of you out there who are reaching out and touching his garment.  And I'm praying for those of you who need the faith to do so.  I’m right there with you.  Sure, I’m afraid.  But let’s not miss out on a miracle.

Wednesday Woman: Esther

When I was a little girl, my favorite Bible character was Esther.  I loved it when my mom read me the book, The Queen Who Saved Her People.  Esther had long flowing hair, perfect skin, and glamorous jewelry.  I loved to look at the pictures of her decked out in her purple robes and royal crown.  She was both beautiful and courageous.  And the King did exactly what she wanted.

What’s not to like?

Now that I’m a grown woman, I still love the story of Esther.  But I read it through a different lens.

Yes, Esther was beautiful.  Yes, she was courageous.  But she certainly wasn’t perfect.  She didn’t exactly rely on her faith and inner beauty to get ahead in the world.  Instead, she entered a beauty contest.  And she used every worldly advantage – every trick in the book --  to get ahead.  She probably lured the King in with her charm and sex appeal.  (We know that she invested a whole year getting royal beauty treatments to please the King.)  She even hid her true identity and her heritage. 

In our day, Esther would be accused of marrying for power and money.  She certainly didn’t marry for love.  The rest of us would probably be criticizing her for getting plastic surgery and Botox.  What some women do to get ahead.  Doesn’t she care about standing on her own two feet?  Is she going to trade her identity for a man?

Is Esther still a worthy role model?  Should we be reading our young daughters the story of Esther, The Queen Who Saved Her People?

Yes indeed.  We can still learn much from the story of Esther. 

To start, Esther stepped up when it counted.  And she used her position of influence to shape the course of history.  God knew Esther would be at the right place at the right time.  When her people were threatened, she didn’t turn her back.  She didn’t hide her identity and say, “I’ll just ride out my position as queen.”

Instead, Esther puts her throne on the line.  No guts, no glory.  She even puts her life on the line.  And she does so with patience, prayer, and fasting.

Esther’s humanity shows us that God can and will ask us to use our positions of influence – no matter how we got there.  And even if he hasn’t been the focus of our journey, he’s always ready to meet us at the destination.

The question is, like Esther, are we ready?

And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?  Esther 4:14

Wednesday Woman: Ruth

I love the Old Testament story of Ruth – a young widow who leaves her home country of Moab to follow the Hebrew God and care of her aging mother-in-law.

Ruth isn’t a push over.  She’s smart and savvy.  And when she arrives in her new country she doesn’t complain, “Oh, I wish I would have stayed in Moab.”  Ruth doesn’t blame God.  She doesn’t moan, “Why I am left without a husband?”  Instead, she gets to work.

Ruth gathers sheaves from the fields – leftover grain – to feed her and her mother-in-law, Naomi.  She doesn’t resent Naomi.  She doesn’t say, “Why I am stuck caring for this old woman?”   She respects Naomi.  She values Naomi.  And she cares for her as she would care for her own mother.  Simply put, when the going got tough, Ruth got going.

The thing I love about Ruth most?  She isn’t stuck on Plan A.  In fact, when Plan A crashes, she opts for Plan B.  And she doesn’t drag her feet or say, “No one has it as hard as I do. What other choice do I have?”  Make no mistake, Ruth had a choice.  She wasn’t out of options.  She could have stayed in Moab, shacked up with a Moabite dude and abandoned her aging mother-in-law.  Instead, she follows her heart and her God, embracing Plan B with zeal and faith.

Ruth goes on to meet a handsome prince.  She has children of her own – and her seed even becomes part of the line of Jesus.  Just think, if Ruth had stayed in Moab she would have missed out.  Who would have thought that a widow from Moab would go down in history as one of the greatest women of faith?

Sometimes Plan B is far superior to Plan A.  Like Ruth, sometimes we just need the guts to follow our heart and our God. 

Have you ever realized that Plan B might be want God intended in the first place?

Wednesday Woman: The Widow With A Jar Of Oil

In the book of Kings, we read about a young widow, saddled in debt and struggling to raise her sons.  When she met the prophet Elisha, he could see that she was desperate.  In fact, she threw herself at his feet and sobbed, "The creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves!"

In those days, creditors could not only repossess property – they could take human beings as collateral.  Never mind that the widow’s late husband had created the debt in the first place.  Mercy was out of the question.

Elisha responded, "What do you have in the house?"

"I have nothing in the house but a jar of oil," she replied.

So Elisha instructed her and her sons to go to their neighbors and borrow as many empty jugs as possible.  Once they collected the jugs, Elisha instructed the mother to shut the door and pour her oil into the empty vessels.

Next, a miracle occurred.  The oil never ran out.  It kept flowing.

There is so much meaning packed in this little story.  To start, the widow didn’t give up.  She didn’t tell Elisha he was crazy, or that he should instead go and arrange for her debts to be cancelled.  Instead, she demonstrated faith.  She had to go to her neighbors for the empty jugs.  She had to physically act to pour the oil into each new jug, not knowing if it would run out.  Then she had to trust God what to do next.

"What shall we do now?" the young mother asked the prophet.

"Sell the oil, pay your debt, and then you and your sons can live on the surplus," he said.

By going, acting, and trusting, the widow took full responsibility for her household and was able to repay her debt and save her family. 

When God uses empty vessels and a little sprinkle of faith, nothing short of a miracle is bound to happen!

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.  2 Corinthians 4:7

Wednesday Woman: Mary

Mary is probably the best known mother in the Bible.  The Blessed Mother. The Madonna.

When we think of Mary, we think about all the fancy pictures of her holding Jesus as a baby.  She’s perfectly calm.  Perfectly serene.  Perfectly dressed.

Was Mary’s life perfect?

Far from it.

Many have written about Mary’s story as it relates to two events:  1)  the birth of Jesus; and 2)  the death of Jesus.  Indeed, we could write volumes and volumes of the anticipation, emotion, and miracle of Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection – from Mary’s perspective.

But I’ll save that for another day and another blog (maybe even another book).  Today, I’d like to focus on the middle.  Not the bookends.  What was Mary’s life like in the middle -- as a single mother whose oldest son left home to declare his divinity?

How do I know Mary was a single mother?  Well, I don’t.  But the absence of Joseph in the New Testament leads most scholars to believe he was out of the picture (likely deceased) long before Jesus launched his public ministry.  We also know that Jesus was Mary’s oldest son, and that Jesus had younger brothers and sisters.

In fact, early in Jesus’ ministry, his mother and siblings tried to get him to come back home and stop all the ruckus.  They thought he had flew the coop.  (Mark 3:20-21)  At one point Jesus even seems to desert his own family.  Rather than giving them special status, he announces, “Anyone who does God's will is my brother and sister and mother."  Mark 3:35 (emphasis mine)

From Mary’s perspective – as a single mother – her oldest son, Jesus, had left her alone.  She had already lost Joseph, and Jesus was the “man” of the house.  He probably supported the family working as a carpenter.  If she lost him too, how would she manage alone? 

Mary probably didn’t understand when Jesus first left home.  And she probably felt completely and totally out of control. 

Forget the paintings of Mary as a serene and calm woman, holding Jesus without a care in the world.  She couldn’t hold a grown man in her arms.  How was she supposed to know that he needed to leave her so he could go and save the world?

I often wonder how Mary held it together during those difficult times.  Sometimes, we forget about the middle.

Wednesday Woman: Lydia

Some women are born with their own style. Lydia of Philippi was such a woman.

Lydia is often called the first European convert to Christianity.  And there are many reasons she deserves our admiration.  To start, Lydia was wildly successful in business. She undoubtedly represented the “new” modern woman of her day -- a business woman who enjoyed profitable trading throughout the Graeco-Roman world. Lydia was a dealer in purple cloth -- and purple dye was the most expensive and sought after dye in the Roman world. Which means Lydia had plenty of capital. As a seller of purple, expensive and even royal textiles, she was probably one of the richest and most influential women in her region.

Importantly, Lydia used her power and influence when it counted.  As a homeowner, she used her home as a refuge for the Apostles – her home was even the meeting place for the first church in Philippi. 

One of the reasons I admire Lydia is she was both cool and spiritual. And she didn’t apologize for either.

I’m not sure if Lydia was anyone’s biological mother.  But I do know that she was a spiritual mother to many.  She goes on in the book of Acts to risk her reputation (maybe even her life) for her faith.  And she did so being First-Century power woman. Not a shrinking violent!

Wednesday Woman: Eve

This week, I’d like to focus on the first mother of all:  Eve.

Eve is known most for being the first woman to sin.  Would any of us have done any better?  After all, nobody’s perfect.  Besides, I can’t imagine the pressure of going first.

Eve was the first woman to live with a man. Forget courting. The first arranged marriage was by necessity -- Adam was the only game in town. Sure, it was probably pure bliss at first, even love at first sight. But after the Fall, the honeymoon was over. I mean really over. Who knows if she was still in love with him. The habits she previously found endearing -- like the way he talked in his sleep or cracked his knuckles -- probably became nasty and annoying. Talk about being out of options. Like it or not, it was time for her and Adam to populate the earth. Together.

Eve was likewise the first woman to give birth. The first to experience the excruciating pains of childbirth. Without drugs. The first to nurse a baby. The first to hold twin boys in her arms. The first to beg God that they’d sleep through the night.

Can you imagine being the first mother?  No one to call for help, no one to show you the ropes, no one to babysit or tell you, “Don’t worry, he’ll outgrow this stage.”

So, before we throw Eve under the bus, let’s give her some credit for going first!  After all, the women who went before us paved the way for generations to come.

Wednesday Woman: Hagar

When we hear about the Matriarchs of the Bible, no one ever talks about Hagar.  After all, she was single and homeless.  Not exactly the kind of woman society emulates.

But there was much more to Hagar.  She was a strong woman – even a strong mother.

So, what’s her story?

In short, she was a slave who got kicked out of Abraham’s house because her son, Ishmael, was illegitimate.  Even though Abraham was Ishmael’s biological father, Abraham couldn’t raise Ishmael under the same roof with his wife, Sarah, and his promised son Isaac.

Hagar – a mere maidservant -- wasn’t welcome anymore.

The only problem? She was a single mom, and she had a son to take care of.  And she had no where to go.  It’s not like she had her own income, her own resources, or her own property.  Hagar was truly alone.  She headed into the desert with no food or water.  Probably without hope.

Hagar might have died in the desert, along with her son.  But God saw her pain.  He reached down and sent an angel to comfort her, and miraculously provided a well.  He also gave her a promise:

Then the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her, “What ails you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad and hold him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation.” Genesis 21:17-18

Did Hagar mock God?  Did she tell him that he had already done enough damage?  Or, did she persevere and determine not to give up, even though life didn’t turn out as planned?

You guessed it, Hagar didn’t give up.  And her son went on to survive and build a strong nation.

Lots of mothers in our generation can relate to Hagar.  Mothers who feel like they’re in the middle of the desert.  Mothers who go to bed at night thinking, How am I going to survive, let alone support my children?  Does God even see my pain?

When the going gets tough, remember the story of Hagar.  Even though Hagar was ready to give up, she didn’t.  And, more importantly, God didn’t give up on Hagar.