I'm Martha, Nice to Meet You

I gave a talk at the St. Paul Area Synod "Toolkit Conference," which is a conference for lay leaders in St. Paul area churches.  I spoke about strategic planning, from vision casting to execution. For the most part, I received good marks, but was dinged pretty hard by a person who said, "Where is the Holy Spirit in this process?"

Now I could get defensive and make all kinds of reasonable excuses, but instead I stop. Now's the time for reflection, not reaction. And as I reflect, I find myself thinking of Martha and Mary (Luke 10: 38-42).  And I realize that most of the time, I'm Martha - she's a woman who gets things done. I admit it - I admire that!

At times we are called to be Martha, who serves through "doing," and  that's admirable. But never are we called to be Martha in absence of Mary, who sits at Jesus' feet and listens and learns and worships Him, basking in His love and wisdom. 

So while I will always be a Martha, I will always strive to be more like Mary - first and foremost letting the Holy Spirit teach and inform all that I do.

Thanks for the feedback, anonymous one!