…and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee. John 11:28 (KJV)
Sometimes I just want to write. Very often I come across a thought while I’m reading and I just want to write about it. There may be no particular lesson or deep, personal experience with it, but it hits me and I just want to write. The downside is that this often happens late in the evening and if I don’t jot down some thoughts, it’ll keep me awake…sometimes for hours. This is one of those times. Not sure where this is gonna go, but settle in and let’s see…
The thing that grabbed me about this particular verse was how lucky Mary was to have Jesus, the very Christ – asking for her!!! I started thinking how thrilling that must have been. I wondered if Mary thought about it for a second; did she have the presence of mind to savor the thought? She certainly didn’t think long about it because the next verse says that “as soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him.”
I suppose there’s a lot here. I’ve heard the call, felt the draw of Jesus several times in my life. Not much appreciation there. I usually answered the call with my thoughts and intentions elsewhere. Other times I simply didn’t listen to that call, it went ignored even shunned.
Another thing that struck me was that the story isn’t about Mary seeking Jesus. She didn’t just wake up one day and decide that…oh, I think I have time, or – maybe I’ll meet with Jesus today. No. Jesus called her, and she responded. How many times have I, as the result of a certain nausea toward life, just decided that maybe Jesus would be the panacea, a hobby, a means to an end? Each of those times ended in either more loneliness, disappointment, discontent or simply loss of interest.
I’m always fretting over the thought that maybe this go-round is more of the same. But it doesn’t seem that way. Sure, in the beginning there were certainly some events that might make it seem the same, but…I don’t know – somehow this time it’s different. I guess I simply have to have faith that this time it was Jesus calling and not George looking for some opiate to relieve the dead wall reverie of life, or looking for a means to an end. I struggle with that. But if it is Jesus calling – oh that I would be like Mary and run quickly!
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I thought I might like to respond with some random thoughts in regards to your latest blog...
April 7, 2010 at 7:17 PM(One sentence edited)
Secondly, some of the things that you mention in this one in particular got me to thinking...
As is often the case in the Bible's mentionings of Mary, she was sitting and waiting. Even when it was announced that Jesus had arrived, it was Martha who ran to Him immediately. "But Mary sat still".
I have always thought that showed something of faith and trust and peace. There is great comfort and peace in just the knowledge that the Lord is with us. But there is also comfort in the fact that the Lord is indeed "big enough" to make Himself (and His will) known to us.
I think that the contrast here between Martha's and Mary's responses is very pertinent to your past (and present) situations and "callings".
Notice that as soon as they were made aware of the fact that Jesus was near, Martha went to Him. That's fine, I suppose. However, it was her approach that troubles me. She immediately pressed Him for answers and explanations. It was as if she had already formulated how Christ should have responded to this particular crisis. Even in her return to the house I see it. For (sorry if I'm reading too much into this, but...) we are never told that Jesus asked Martha to tell Mary that He wanted her. It may very well have been Martha's way of saying, "Go see if you can get anywhere with Him. He ain't listening to me."
Regardless...once again, with Martha I see "cumbered, careful, troubled".
On the other hand, with Mary I see faith. Yeah, she pours out her heart and her pain when she cries, "Lord, if You'd been here..." And then she shuts up.
Anyway...I said all of that to say this (if ANY of this is making any sense)...
I believe all of your "callings" were of God. Does not the Bible tell us that there are none that seek God? And did not Jesus say that no one can come to Him except the Father draw him? That tells me that any inclination that we have toward Christ is from God ("Calvinistic", I know...)
The problem is never the call. It is our response to it. Our approach, if you will.
It all goes back to "trust" and "understanding". As in, are we looking to increase our understanding of God and His workings in our lives...or our faith? And...does our faith end with our understanding?
Anyway...just some thoughts..
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