Mary and Martha

While I sit here waiting for WalMart to download or upload my pictures, or whatever they do, I thought I would share my marvelous wisdom and knowledge. Actually, there isn't much of either, but I will say that yesterday when I was gazing out my front window instead of getting ready for church, I had this thought that Martha of the Mary and Martha story kind of gets a bad rap. Here's the story: Every second Sunday I invite my parents, grandparents aunts and uncles , anyone who may be within 150 miles, and kids over for dinner. I usually really enjoy it, and I did yesterday, as well. But here's the thing, we have been busy working, looking for our campsite, going to the temple and attending various weddings and receptions and my house was, to say the least, not immaculate. So I sat on the couch watching three squirrels running and playing in my yard and thinking of the day ahead and I thought, Martha was only trying to be a good hostess. She was working hard, and Mary, who was part of her household is sitting on the floor listening to the Savior. I would want to think that if He came over, I wouldn't want to do anything else but sit at His feet and be taught by Him. In other words, I want to think I am like Mary. However, if He had been there a while, I know that I would have wanted to prepare a meal worthy of a King. Is that so bad? And I think, poor Martha, she was only trying in the best way she knew to serve Him. She was stressed and probably really ready to put the hurt on her sister, and the Lord says that Mary has chosen the better part. So as I analyzed the situation of my day, I felt empathy for Martha and thought that everyone was being kind of mean to her. I thought, will I be able to choose the better part at church, or will I be so preoccupied with the house that I may as well not even go. Well, of course I went and enjoyed every meeting so much. In each class the Spirit was so strong and I learned old concepts with new eyes, but when I came home, everything was just as I had left it. I had recieved blessings at church of an open heart, but was still feeling so overwhelmed and just because I, like Martha, simply wanted to make a good meal and have it enjoyed by those I love. At 2:30 everyone came and we ate the best meal we have had in months. Everything turned out well, and everyone went home well-fed. But Martha was still on my mind. I was happy that I had had such a good day at church and with my family, but I still thought she had not been treated fairly. Then, last night while I was online, I went to lds.org and tried to find anything about the story that would help me understand it and accept it. I found one by a former Relief Society curriculum director that was written in the '80's. She herself had felt that Martha was serving the Lord in the way she felt most comfortable, and in the way she could best. She made the point, though, that the Lord knew her heart and still admonished her. I loved this quote: "The conversation that night was eternal; the calories were not." The author, Evelyn T Marshall, then speaks to the many things that pull LDS women in different directions. The bottom line is this for me, I do my best, but I need to maybe re-prioritize. I feel so much better about that story, I feel like I know what I need to do. So, its not so much me sharing my fabulous wisdom, as much as me just needing to put it down on "paper."