I found an old sponge in my garage the other day. Dry. Brittle. Used up. It was barely recognizable as a sponge.
Looking at that sponge was like looking in the mirror.
There I was at the end of the hectic holidays, at the end of myself—dry, brittle, all used up. I wanted to face the New Year with hope and excitement, but I had no energy for it. I bet you’ve been there too, with all the professional, personal, familial, church, and community hats you wear. Sometimes those hats seem to suck all the life out of us.
The sponge brought Mary and Martha to my mind. (You can read about them in Luke 10:38–42.) Most of us identify with Martha, don’t we?
- Taking care of this.
- Seeing after that.
- Making sure everything is perfect.
- Making sure everyone is happy.
But Mary. Good grief! She’s doing nothing. Except sitting at Jesus’ feet.
A Better Choice
Well, Martha vented. And Jesus looked at this well-intentioned, big-hearted woman who’d been sucked dry by all her striving, and He said (my paraphrase), “Martha, your work is good. But your worship … that’s even better.”
Here’s what Jesus knew: Worship is what renews you as you work.
Soaking Up Renewal
Take that hardworking sponge. The one that appears to have lost all its usefulness, hard and dry as it is. Immerse that sponge in a bucket of water. What happens?
Now, what happens when we weary women immerse ourselves in God’s presence? That’s what worship is, after all. What happens when we pause to read a psalm and pray for a bit? Or we listen to worship music during our morning walk? Or we sing to God in the car, which sure beats muttering in frustration at the news station? Maybe we talk with God while unloading the dishwasher—praising one of His attributes with each glass, each plate, each fork we put away.
Try it this week. “Be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him” (Colossians 3:10, NLT). Then tell me what happened.
About Kim Crabill
Kim Crabill is founder and president of Roses and Rainbows Ministries, Inc., and Community COFFEEs (Conversations of Friends of Faith to Encourage and Equip). She has traveled nationally for more than 20 years, speaking at retreats, at conferences, and to Bible study groups, and has been interviewed on national TV and radio. Kim’s message and passion come from her personal experience of longing to be used by God yet feeling unusable because of past abuse, anorexia, diet pill addiction, and depression. Her mother’s deathbed challenge set Kim on the path of daring to be and do what God had purposed for her, a journey she wrote about in her book Burdens to Blessings. She is also author of Burdens to Blessings: Young Adult Edition, Infinitely More: Your 40-Day Ephesians 3:20 Adventure, A Cup of Christmas, A Cup of Hope, and A Cup of Freedom.
Kim is married to Lee Crabill, and together they have two adult sons. For more information about Kim Crabill and her ministries, visit www.rosesandrainbows.org.
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