INTRO: I wrote this poem to reflect a Christian perspective of time management based on the Bible story of Martha and Mary found in the Bible, Luke 10:38-42. We read of the choices Martha and Mary made the day Jesus came to stay at their place as they were close friends. Although this was a regular occurrence, it is on this occasion that we read of the altercation between Martha and Jesus over how Mary should be spending her time. Martha, Mary and their brother Lazarus were close and dear friends of Jesus. I have taken the liberty to modernize the story slightly, as it is such a relatable story to our current lifestyles.
In the poem, I have also referred to the scene from the story of the woman who meets Jesus at the well. Unbeknown to the woman, Jesus deliberately sits and waits for her to come to Him, just as He wants us to come and sit, listen and talk with Him. As Jesus speaks with her, He touches her wounded heart with His mercy, love and grace.
I often picture myself sitting with Jesus under the shade of a tree, protected from the scorching heat of the midday sun, leaving the cares of the world back in the busyness of city life, while we chat together about spiritual things. Beverley Joy
Mary had finished her daily chores
When Jesus came knocking on their door
Come in, come in, Martha welcomed them
They often stayed there to eat and rest.
Martha decided to cook up a feast
For Jesus and friends at the day’s end
Mary sat and listened, at Jesus’ feet
A rare opportunity, the dishes could wait.
Martha was seething in the kitchen
Angry at Mary for not helping
Nobody noticed how hard she was working
Cooking the feast, so perfect and quick.
She’d forgotten that her work was for God’s honour
Not to receive the honour for herself
That she was the servant to serve her Lord
She lost her true purpose in her work.
Jesus would have been happy with takeaway
Allowing time for Martha to spend time with Him
He would be gone the next day, travelling far away
But, she chose the busyness of chores over time with her Lord.
She accused Jesus of not noticing
But Jesus has seen the dark kitchen scene
“Martha, you’re always so busy
You choose busyness over me.”
Is our agenda more important than God’s
What matters to our Lord is our attitude to work
Yes, it’s important to do our chores
But it’s more important to love our Lord.
We rush about doing this and that
While Jesus sits under the tree and waits
For us to stop and sit with Him
To listen and learn, to chat and relax.
Beverley Joy © of Simply Story Poetry All Rights Reserves
You can listen to all my poems on several podcast platforms here
Listen to or read my poems about Women in the Bible – It Takes Two To Tango The Adulterous Woman of John 8:1-11, She Gave From Her Heart The Woman and the Two Coins Luke 21:1-4, Sweet Temptation Eve Genesis 3, Feast or Famine Ruth, ‘Thirst Quenching’ The Woman at the Well, Mary – The Christmas Story Part 4, Mary and Elizabeth – The Christmas Story Part 5,
Image by Enrique Meseguer from Pixabay
Simply Story Poetry 
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