Good day Girls, I’m writing to you from a quiet corner of the Northern Cape, where the sun has already stretched its arms across the Kalahari and the air carries both dust and promise. This morning was filled with conversations, some tender, some heavy… as I sat with women navigating grief, decisions, and the ache of unseen burdens. I brewed rooibos, prayed between pauses, and felt the familiar tug: the call to serve, to show up, to hold space.
And yet, somewhere in the serving, I felt the tug on my own heart, that soft whisper: “Gwen… Come sit with Me.”
That’s why Martha’s story has been stirring in my spirit today.
There are seasons when our hands are full, our calendars packed, our hearts stretched thin by the weight of responsibility. We serve. We prepare. We care for others with love and diligence. We do what needs to be done.
But somewhere in the doing, we forget the being.
Martha wasn’t rebellious. She wasn’t indifferent. She was devoted, just distracted. She wanted to honour Jesus with her hospitality, but missed the invitation to simply be with Him.
And Jesus didn’t dismiss her. He didn’t shame her. He didn’t compare her to Mary to diminish her worth. He invited her to pause. To realign. To remember that presence is the priority.
Because service is so important, but it must flow from intimacy, not anxiety. From connection, not comparison. From rest, not restlessness.
So today, I’m asking myself… and you, where have we let the weight of responsibility eclipse the wonder of relationship? Where have we traded communion for control, presence for performance?
“Lord, don’t You care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself?”
– Luke 10:40
Let’s be women who serve with joy, but who also know when to sit at His feet. Let’s be Marthas who remember that the kitchen is holy, but only when it’s fueled by time spent in the living room of His presence.
Who Was Martha?
Martha was a woman of hospitality, a sister to Mary and Lazarus, and a beloved friend of Jesus.
She lived in Bethany, a village just two miles from Jerusalem… a place Jesus often visited, not just for rest, but for relationship. Her home became a sanctuary for the Saviour, a place where bread was broken and hearts were revealed.
When Jesus came to her house, Martha welcomed Him with open arms… and busy hands. She cooked. She served. She made sure everything was just right. Her love language was preparation. Her devotion looked like action.
But her sister Mary sat at Jesus’ feet, listening, resting, receiving. And Martha, overwhelmed by the weight of responsibility, said: “Lord, don’t You care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself?” – Luke 10:40
Jesus responded with tenderness, not rebuke: “Martha, Martha… you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.” – Luke 10: 41 – 42
He didn’t dismiss her service. He redirected her focus.
And here’s something many don’t realise: Martha wasn’t just a host… she was a woman of deep faith. In John 11, after Lazarus died, it was Martha – not Mary – who ran to meet Jesus. She declared: “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give You whatever You ask.” — John 11:21–22
And when Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life,” it was Martha who responded with one of the clearest confessions of faith in the Gospels: “Yes, Lord. I believe that You are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” — John 11:27
Martha was not just a woman of service… She was a woman of belief, of boldness, of spiritual maturity.
Her story reminds us that devotion can look like dinner prep, but it must be anchored in presence. That faith can rise even in grief, and that Jesus meets us not only in our worship, but in our weariness.
Martha’s name is forever etched in Scripture… not as the distracted one, but as the woman who learned to pause, who learned to believe, and who welcomed resurrection into her home.
What Martha Means for Us Today
Martha’s story is for every woman who feels responsible. For the ones who rise early to prepare, who stay up late to intercede, who carry the weight of households, ministries, and silent burdens. It’s for the woman whose love language is service, whose devotion is expressed in action, whose heart beats with the rhythm of responsibility.
She reminds us that service is meaningful… but His presence is priority.
She reminds us that doing for Jesus is good… but being with Him is better.
She reminds us that our worth isn’t measured by our output, but by our intimacy.
Martha wasn’t wrong for serving. Her hospitality was holy. Her desire to honour Jesus was sincere. But in the flurry of preparation, she missed the invitation to pause, to sit, to receive.
And Jesus didn’t scold her. He didn’t shame her. He called her by name, twice. “Martha, Martha…” A gentle correction wrapped in love. A reminder that He sees the heart behind the hustle, but longs for the heart to be still.
What Martha means for us today is this: We are not defined by our busyness. We are not forgotten in our serving. But we are invited… again and again, into communion. Into the quiet place where striving ceases and presence begins.
So if you’ve been feeling stretched, unseen, or weary, know this: Jesus sees you. He honours your hands. But He desires your heart.
Let Martha’s story be a mirror, not a measure. Let it remind you that the kitchen is holy… but only when it’s fueled by time spent in the living room of His presence.
You are not failing when you pause. You are realigning. You are returning. You are choosing the better thing.
Life Application: Let Jesus Be Your Portion
You may feel like Martha. Pulled in every direction. Juggling expectations, appointments, and invisible burdens. Trying to meet every need. Trying to hold everything together. Trying to serve well, love deeply, and not fall apart in the process.
But Jesus is still saying, “Only one thing is needed.” Not perfection. Not performance. Just presence.
He’s not asking for polished prayers or flawless execution. He’s asking for you. Your heart. Your attention. Your nearness.
So pause. Not because the work isn’t important… but because your soul is.
Sit. Not because you’re lazy… but because you’re loved.
Listen. Not because you’ve failed… but because He wants to speak.
Let your soul be filled before your hands get busy. Let your heart be quiet before your schedule gets loud. Let Jesus be your portion… not just your purpose.
Because the table will still be set. The guests will still arrive. The needs will still be there. But your spirit will be rested. Your joy will be restored. And your service will flow from overflow, not depletion.
Martha reminds us that it’s possible to be devoted and distracted. But Jesus reminds us that it’s never too late to choose the better thing.
So today, choose presence. Choose rest. Choose the One who doesn’t need your perfection… just your proximity.
Let Jesus be your portion. Your enough. Your anchor. Your peace.
Closing Reflection: When God Invites You To Be Still
Martha’s story was never meant to shame the servant-hearted. It was meant to realign them.God didn’t rebuke her for caring.He redirected her for crowding out what mattered most.
She wasn’t wrong for preparing the meal… She was missing the moment. Because sometimes:
- Even our devotion can become a distraction.
- Even our service can eclipse surrender.
- Even our good intentions can pull us away from the better portion.
Why did Jesus speak so gently to her? Because He saw her heart. He saw the weight she carried, The pressure she felt, The love behind her labor.
But He also saw what she was missing, His presence.
This is why her story matters… Because so many women today are Martha.
Faithful. Responsible. Exhausted. Trying to hold everything together, while Jesus waits for them to sit down.
Martha reminds us:
- You don’t have to earn proximity to Jesus.
- You don’t have to prove your worth through productivity.
- You are invited—not just to serve—but to be still.
If you’ve ever felt unseen in your service, If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by your responsibilities, If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing everything for God
But missing time with Him… You are Martha. And Jesus is still saying,
“Only one thing is needed.” Let Him be your portion. Let presence come before performance. Let rest become your rhythm. Because the table will still be set… But your soul will be full.
Prayer: When I’m Busy but Longing to Be Still
Lord, You are the God who sees the servant-hearted. You see my hands, tired from doing. You see my heart, heavy from caring. You see my mind, racing with responsibility.
I love You, and I want to honour You with my service. But sometimes, I forget to sit. I forget to breathe. I forget that You didn’t ask me to carry it all.
So today, I pause.
Not because the work is done, But because You are here. I lay down the pressure to perform. I release the need to be needed. I surrender the schedule, the striving, the stress.
Teach me to choose the better portion. To sit at Your feet, To listen to Your voice, To let Your presence fill what my productivity cannot.
Let my service flow from intimacy, Not obligation.
Let my strength come from stillness, Not exhaustion.
You didn’t rebuke Martha, You invited her.
So I receive that same invitation. To be with You. To rest in You. To remember that I am loved, Even when I’m not busy. Amen.
