Cupcakes

Colossians 3:1-2
"Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth."

I Corinthians 7:23
"You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men. "

I made three...count them...1, 2, 3 batches of cupcakes on Thursday night/Friday morning!  To be fair, I had a warning this would happen.  Wednesday night was a chicken chow mien disaster after rushing to feed two kids before TBall practice and no rice to be found anywhere in the house!  As I frantically threw the chow mien into the fridge and grabbed for the boxed lunches-soon-to-be-dinners, the two verses above rolled through my memory.  Could it be that spending the last hour making dinner from scratch when I hadn't found any time that day for Bible study was not what I was supposed to be doing with my time? 

"Ok, Lord.  I get it.  You'd rather I be Mary and not Martha...not even Martha Stewart!"

The problem is...I would really like to be Martha Stewart!  I am a planner that finds great joy organizing and making preparations for the people around me.  

Adorable homemade Ninja Turtles goodie bags...check!  

Delicious homemade jello squares for the school party...check!  

Gatorade and granola bars for the T-Ball team snack...check!  

Helium tank to blow up our own balloons...check!  

Birthday gifts bought for various family members to give to Brody...check!  

Wrapped...check! 

Light, fluffy, made from scratch cupcakes tinted the perfect shade of ninja turtle green........all over the inside of my oven most likely because a) not all cake recipes can be converted to cupcakes and b) there is a reason they say to fill the cups 2/3 full....quick trip to the store to buy boxed cake mix and green frosting...wait...you need to add a cup of water along with the oil and eggs?!?  Throw out the last of the cupcake cups filled with green cement...check!

Run back to the store after dinner to buy another box of cake mix...get to the car and realize you forgot to buy more paper cups...send husband back into the store because you know you'll get weird looks after 3 trips in the last hour...still think you should be Martha, Lindsay?...get home and measure out ALL ingredients...realize you used all but 2 eggs on the first two cakes and you need 3...leave everything in the kitchen and find a quiet corner to repent!  

     Not for being someone who finds joy in organizing something out of nothing.  God obviously made the Martha's of the world for a purpose, and I don't think Martha of Bethany was wrong for wanting to make preparations (Luke 10:38-42).  I think (from my own experience) that she was wrong because she was making preparations for Jesus the man, not Jesus her Lord.  As Jesus told her, the one thing that is needed at the heart of every moment is to sit at His divine feet and listen for instruction.
     Now before my fellow Martha's give a collective groan of despair, we aren't expected to sit there doing nothing for the rest of all time!  The entire book of Hebrews, especially chapter 11, is dedicated to the theme of faith in action.  Faith requires "doing" not sitting on your fanny staring doe-eyed at Jesus.  Even Mary had to get up sometime in order to wash Jesus' feet with her hair (John 12:3)!  But there is only one entity who knows what is best for every individual on earth, and He's waiting to give each of us our marching orders.
     I know that there will be days when Scott and the kids could use a homemade chicken pot pie with fresh-picked herbs from the garden.  Other days, microwave dinners in front of a board game will be what's needed.  The thing to remember is that the one who knows what kind of a day it's supposed to be and what limits I need in order to prioritize the use of my time is waiting to give instruction.   Sometimes it just takes three batches of cupcakes before I sit at His feet ready to listen!