Striving

This was an incredible weekend, and this evening was a wonderful way to end it (even though Sunday is technically the first day of the week.) let me tell you about what was on my mind this week..

the word on my heart for about the last ten days has been "striving".  The definition of the word is "To make great efforts to achieve or obtain something". I thought about how often people strive toward their careers, relationships, possessions, outward appearance, and many other things. I also thought about how I don't feel much sense of peace in the word. 

I wondered why I kept thinking of this word, and I began to examine my life. What is it that I am "striving" for? well I have my list, just like anyone else, of possible distractions. Am I trying to hard to obtain possessions? Am I using to much effort toward a relationship? I couldn't figure it out... why was I so concerned with this word, and why wouldnt it leave me alone. It wasnt until late last week that I began to see martha and mary EVERYWHERE. There were references to their story all of the place, and that caught my attention.

Their story can be found in luke 10: 38-42.

Rachel's version: Jesus comes into town and goes to their home. Martha welcomes Jesus into her home and begins to work and work and work for him. Meanwhile, her sister, Mary is sitting by Jesus's feet listening to him, in His presence, talk to him...enjoying a relationship with him. Martha goes to Jesus, I imagine her very annoyed and says something along the lines of..."dont you care that I have to do everything all on my own, tell her to get in here an help me!" (basically) and Jesus says to martha.."Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her" 


the thing that I realized is although what were doing my seem good, don't miss the relationships. Don't work so hard that you forget to enjoy the presence of the Lord. Don't let worry and distractions (even if they are "ministries") take the place of just sitting with your Saviour. He loves you, he desires a relationship with you. works and deeds, and everything else will come when we put our relationship with HIM first, and it wont be something you have to strive for. Of course there will be difficult times, and times you feel like you're pushing against the wind, but there will still be peace, because your communion with your God is not broken. 


delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4


and when you delight yourself in Him, guess what? He becomes, even more so, the desire of your heart. Its beautiful. Its not about striving, instead pursuing a relationship with Jesus, who is ALREADY pursuing you, and just sitting as His feet, listening to Him. When your priority is a relationship with Him, everything else will fall in line. Know Him. 






soo.... speaking of relationship, little random thought here... take it or leave it.. 




Relationships are so so valuable. Its a concern to me that we ignore, abuse and manipulate them. We need each other. In Genesis it says that God said it was not good for man to be alone so he made him a help meet. Do I think that this means man needs women? heck yeah. But I also think that it means we need each other. we need to cherish and love each other. We are brothers and sister in Christ.


One thing I've been thinking about recently is some advice I was given. First of let me start by saying I absolutely love the person who gave me this advice, but I considered it and formed a little bit of a different opinion on it than they have... 


It was suggested to me that in a relationship a women should play simple games, not anything mean or super manipulative, but just little games because people like that. But then I thought about how our relationship with a man is symbolic of Christ and the Church. Christ would never play hard to get, nor does playing hard to get with Christ make him love me or desire me anymore than he already does. My purposeful absence from his presence doesn't improve our relationship, he never manipulated the church and any attempt from the church to manipulate Him would fail. Its just that I think we sometimes consider things a little less sacred than they truly are, and value people a little less than we should when we intentionally choose to play games with them. I understand the idea that men love the chase, and i get the argument for playing games, I'm not judging you if you do... but because I understand the purity of the way Jesus pursues his Bride (endlessly, without hesitation, or need of a reason other than his passionate love for her) and the bride (thats us, church) desires and longs for her groom, i don't think that in the relationship God intends for me to be in I will have to play games. I don't think that manipulative is a solid foundation for a marriage.  just my random thought for the day.