Open Hearted
by Bayo Earl
The other day I was reading through the passage where Jesus visits the home of Martha and Mary, and something jumped out to me that I hadn’t really noticed before - where it says Martha opened her home to Jesus. This really struck me, as it shows Martha’s heart. The fact that she opened her home to Jesus shows she was open to Him, and Jesus would have seen this.
In the rest of the passage, we read how Martha was distracted and busy trying to prepare and be a good host, but that Mary sat at Jesus’ feet. When Jesus then points this out to Martha, I really think that this is an invitation from Him rather than a harsh rebuke.
The point is that Jesus knew Martha was open to Him and He saw past all her stress, busyness, and trying to get it right. He saw right past it. He knew she was ‘worried and upset about many things’ and invited her to lay it all down and just sit with Him. How beautiful is that? How often do we get caught by busyness in our lives, just doing, doing, doing? We can be driven by the fear of getting things wrong, or by trying to be good and strong for God, others, or ourselves.
But the thing is, Jesus sees right past it. He isn’t asking us to be strong and to prove ourselves to Him. He isn’t asking us to burn out serving Him. He asks us to come and sit with Him. Let that sink in for moment. I know I need to, even as I’m writing this.
He looks at our hearts. He sees it all, all the fear of failing, the tiredness, and whatever it is you have been trying to keep on top of. You can bring it to Him. He already knows. He isn’t waiting for you to sort your heart out before you come to Him either. You can come just as you are. He looks for hearts that are open to Him. ‘For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him’ (2 Chronicles 16:9).
And this doesn’t mean that we don’t have to work, or we should stop serving Him. But it means we can lean on Him and let Him be the strong One in every situation. Let this remind you today that His heart is gentle and kind, and that He is for you and not against you. Whatever you are carrying today, or worried and upset by, take a moment to bring it to Jesus. He sees you, and He sees your heart.
Bayo Earl Bayo is on team at Ellel Grange after originally joining Ellel through the gap year programme UNDIVIDED. She loves to be creative – particularly through textiles – has a lot of plants, inside and outside, and is definitely an outdoors person.
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