Mary has chosen the good portion which shall not be taken away from her.

The sky outside my window flashes brilliantly, and I brace myself for the rumble that will follow. My desk resonates with the loud clap of thunder, and my air conditioner sings with the lively patter of raindrops. There's something inexplicably exhilarating about being in such close proximity with a raging storm.

I've always been fascinated by nature. It's so commonplace: the sun sets and rises everyday, rains come and go, the leaves change color, and snows cover our roads. But yet there's something so pure and beautiful about nature that no matter how familiar it may be, it always has the power to stop me in my tracks. I find it amazing how God uses the constants of nature to remind us of Himself. It's so easy to get lost in the grind of petty tasks that blind us to the miracle of a sunrise. And so easy to forget to glance up and revel in the God who gave it to us.

Those last two points were written for myself more than anything. A couple of weeks ago, I listened to a sermon by Mark Driscoll about the Mary-Heart vs. the Martha-Heart (Luke 10:38-42). I'm sure that this passage has been preached on very often, and we're always reminded to be like Mary and yearn to sit at Jesus' feet instead of bustling around doing things like Martha and getting frustrated when no one helps. But somehow the sermon hit me in a new way in that I realized that I'm often pushed to be like Martha because of what I deem to be the expectations that others have of me. My heart is meant to be like Mary in that I do love being in the presence of God, hearing His voice and learning His heart. But because of my preoccupation with what life demands of me, that peace is torn away and I'm left feeling frantic and frustrated and worried that I'll let people down.

I've learned that aspects of both Mary and Martha are required in a Christian walk. My inner person needs to be postured before Jesus to gain strength and peace that is so easily lost. But if I never actually do anything, then I will be missing out on walking out everything I learned, and won't be as effective in the Kingdom. Mark Driscoll pointed out that it was Martha who welcomed Jesus into her home, and no one else, and because of her invitation, Mary was able to enjoy His presence and learn. The Martha's make things happen, and without them, not much would get done. So it's important to "have Mary's heart but have Martha's hands." I gotta learn not to get em switched!

There is alot of pain in this world, but there's alot of beauty as well. And if we know how to hide and rest in the shadow of the Almighty, even the storms of life can become an exciting ride.