Is God Calling You to Sit or Serve?

“So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

1 Corinthians 10:31

Many years ago, when my children were very small, our family hosted Thanksgiving dinner. I spent weeks preparing, crafting the menu, shopping for needs, cleaning our home, and setting the China. The morning of Thanksgiving, we carefully balanced entertaining our children with keeping our house clean and perfectly timing the turkey for our guests. We graciously hosted an elderly couple far from family or friends who would have otherwise spent Thanksgiving alone. As I served the gentleman a generous slice of apple pie with ice cream, he turned and asked. “Is this homemade?” 

The man expected more than I planned to offer. Sometimes, people either consciously or subconsciously place a burden of expectations on others they have no intention or ability to meet. Unfortunately, we’ve all experienced the wave of disappointment unmet expectations deliver.

Just like the Thanksgiving turkey is stuffed with dressing, the holidays are filled with expectations.

But what do we do when saying yes to God means saying no to someone we love?

Mary and Martha were no strangers to this dilemma or the weight of expectations.

I can only imagine how honored Martha felt when our Lord chose her home. She recognized Jesus’ need for food and fellowship and graciously provided. Maybe what started as a kind gesture quickly bloomed into a hosting extravaganza. Out of the generosity of her heart, she strove to offer Jesus the best of her home and hospitality. But soon, the devil twisted her sacrificial gift into a burden of overwhelming responsibilities.

And maybe because Martha understood the depth of Mary’s love for Jesus, she assumed Mary would serve our Lord with the same sacrificial gift of hospitality. And maybe for a while, she did. Mary felt both compelled to serve her sister and drawn to the presence of her Lord. Until finally, she collapsed at the feet of our Lord, desperate for Living Water. (Luke 10:38-42)

I know Martha gets a bad rap because she was busy hosting. But I’m not sure that was the real issue. God loves a good party. They were His idea. In First Kings 8, Solomon slaughtered 22,000 cattle to dedicate the temple of the Lord. They celebrated for 14 days. It was a big party, but it sounds like a lot of work.

I wonder if part of Martha’s issue wasn’t that she was busy but that she assumed Mary should serve the Lord the same way she did. We shouldn’t assume that just because we feel called to serve God in a specific way, He has called others to serve Him in the same capacity. We should each generously and graciously serve God as He directs without subconsciously placing our expectations on others. Martha was called to serve, but Mary was called to sit.

Jesus modeled this as well. He sacrificially served and sacrificially worshiped. He fed the 5000, healed the sick, and raised the dead. Jesus knew when to sit in worship, serve in worship, and give the ultimate act of worship.

Jesus allowed Martha to serve and Mary to worship. Mary’s worship seemed frivolous to Martha but life-sustaining to Mary. And Jesus refused to deprive Mary of being filled. The Bible records another instance where Martha served while Mary (possibly the same Mary) poured out expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet in anticipation of His burial. (John 12:1-7) Both Martha and Mary loved Jesus. They just served Him differently.

God recognizes the need for service and worship; we should, too. In some seasons, God calls us to host an extravaganza. In other seasons, He asks us to sit at His feet. That means, in some seasons, we may offer the gentleman a generous slice of homemade apple pie. But in other seasons, we should be hosted instead of hosting or opt for Thanksgiving dinner out. It’s okay if you’re in a season of overwhelming expectations to sit at the feet of our Savior, desperate to be filled. But it’s also okay if God’s prepared you for a season of service and hospitality.

Whether sitting or serving, let’s do it all for the glory of God!