Sunday summary
Luke Ch 6-10
So many great stories & parables here! So much I can learn. But part of the recovery process is the challenge of focusing on my current step, not getting behind or ahead.
In step one I am admitting I am powerless to control my hurts hang-ups and habits. This is a daily surrender for me. I have a need to be in control. More accurately I have the need to believe I am in control. To maintain the illusion of control, I do things that I can control. Doing all the details as a form of control can be a distraction from my real objective.
Thus the little story of Mary & Martha, five verses at the end of chapter 10.
I take two recovery lessons from this story. First is that recovery is more that doing the steps. Second, the people that love us may not understand what we are doing and by accident or intention, interfere.
Martha was about doing. Mary was about being with and becoming like Jesus.
We must DO the steps of course. Martha & Mary also had to prepared for their little get together. But just “putting on” a great party is not what recovery is about. It’s more, as Mary clearly knew.
It’s about RELATIONSHIP!
When I was first married I invited a friend over from work. He & his wife came over for dinner. We had a new baby & my wife was excited to have some of our first “non-family” guests. She ran around like a chicken with her head cut off serving our meal, clearing the table, making coffee & dessert. After dinner she went in the other room to nurse while I sat in the living room alone with my guests. They excused themselves and left before Mary returned. Ouch. The next day at work my friend told me that his wife thought I was a real toad for making my wife do all that work while I sat with guests.
She was half right.
I should have helped prepare in advance more, so that when our guests arrived, my Mary didn’t have to do it all. But my Mary forgot that this dinner was a meal second and a get-to-know-you first. I suggested that next time, (they never came back) we serve a simple meal with a little ice cream for dessert and that she might invite the ladies to join her in the other room if necessary.
Because it’s about relationships!
And Recovery is about relationships too!
You may have many Martha’s in your life. They may be the people closest to you who doubt what you are doing, that it will work, that you are sincere this time, that don’t really believe in you, or trust you anymore. That’s ok! Mary got that from Martha but she just went in the other room with Jesus. She didn’t let Martha’s negative talk stop her.
Jesus told Martha that because Mary was obedient, “It will not be taken away form her.”
If I do my prep work (workbooks, recovery bible) then, most important, come to Him, the blessing of our victory over my hurts, hang-ups and habits will not be taken away from me!!!! Nor from you!!!
SW - LOVE TO SEE YOUR COMMENTS.
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