tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2722447614945782871.post2088553367615108861..comments2023-09-12T11:31:20.729-05:00Comments on Straight-Friendly: Martha SyndromeTimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01271248501086241494noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2722447614945782871.post-6371191461303864622011-11-28T17:22:54.951-06:002011-11-28T17:22:54.951-06:00Claire, Sherry's mention of Martha set off a w...Claire, Sherry's mention of Martha set off a wave of personal urgency for me. The clouds of "so-much-to-do" were gathering overhead even as the holy quiet of Advent was settling in below. I could feel the tension begin. And here was a perfect example of going the wrong way for all the right reasons. Balancing the advertising and store-bought hoopla--a high-pressure tactic here in the States--with the gift of contemplative expectancy is almost a fine art. One fights the weariness of warding off the commercial aspects while also trying to reserve the energy it takes to give Advent its due. Sherry's comment handed me a vital key to winning this battle and I felt compelled to pass it on ASAP. Along this journey I'm sure we'll all find ourselves saying, "Martha, Martha..." And I join in you in pondering this in our travels. May we all be blessed to choose the better part!<br /><br />Sherry, first, thank you for the inspiration. But your comment here also touches a very real psychological nerve that I don't think we consider: the subconscious drive to overdo the holiday trimmings as compensation for our inadequacies. As I often do when recapping Bible narratives--being the movie buff that I am--I sort of cast the scene in my head. I saw Martha as a Meryl Streep type, a beautiful, highly intelligent woman who's so keenly attuned to her gifts and deficits that she becomes rigid in her pursuit of excellence. Nothing short of perfection will do. Meanwhile, Mary reminds me of a Barbara Hershey character, no less intelligent, yet remarkably at ease with herself and, hence, more perceptive about what matters most in each moment. I think both characters exhibit tremendous purity, albeit of very different kinds. And together they personify the polarity of the season--the desire to please versus the instinct to <i>be</i> pleasing. And therein lay the conflict we all wrestle with.<br /><br />Thank you both for the light you've brought to this topic.<br /><br />Many, many blessings,<br />TimTimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01271248501086241494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2722447614945782871.post-44767440063637712512011-11-28T10:38:02.552-06:002011-11-28T10:38:02.552-06:00Oh so well said Tim. You simply pointed out the ve...Oh so well said Tim. You simply pointed out the very essence of where Martha was wrong, but not for bad motives, simply because she thought it mattered so much that all was perfection for Jesus. Jesus never demands perfection does he? Only our honest best. And in the midst of turmoil, he urges us to stop, take a breath, center ourselves in Him, and then examine anew the situation. Once we do that, we can gain the perspective, to attend to what needs attending and laugh off all the rest of the "shoulds" that really aren't shoulds at all, but merely ornamentation that serves to hide our fears that we aren't good enough. Blessings, SherrySherry Peytonhttp://witshadows.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2722447614945782871.post-68385403162384890232011-11-28T10:11:21.508-06:002011-11-28T10:11:21.508-06:00How wise you and your friend Sherry are. Thank you...How wise you and your friend Sherry are. Thank you so much for this, Tim. It is so hard not to want to have the Best Christmas Ever, not so much in the attention part but in the fussing about part...<br /><br />Even though the Advent part of this season will go in quietness and silence, I know that comes Christmas eve and the arrival of our children and grandchildren, my Martha is going to be a royal pain...<br /><br />You'll have me ponder all of this throughout the season.<br /><br />Thank you.claire bangasserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12380558962103134334noreply@blogger.com