Ugly Heart Motives

“But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; but only one thing is necessary; for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41–42 (NASB)

Martha, Martha

This year God has been speaking to me on the topic of heart motives. As I contemplate this, I’m drawn to the biblical accounts of the sisters, Martha and Mary of Bethany. Poor Martha gets a bad rap due to her unfortunate display of frustration with Mary in Luke 10:40. When Jesus and His disciples stopped by for a visit, she was upset that Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet while she did all the serving. Many of you probably know the story, and some of you are probably like me and have called yourself a “Martha” when you have become overly distracted and task oriented, unable to to focus on the Lord. I often find myself deeming Martha as the sister with the less desirable character traits, and putting Mary on a pedestal for her devotion and ability to be seemingly undistracted by anything around her when Jesus is in the room. But I got to thinking. What if it wasn’t Martha’s actions that were wrong that day, but her heart motives?

A Portrait of Martha

Martha shows up three times in scripture. When I examine these three stories I see in Martha a woman who serves (Luke 10:38-42, John 12:1–8) and a woman of strong faith (John 11). I also see a sense of responsibility in her as she ensured that her guests were taken care of when Jesus and His disciples visited her home. These are very good character strengths. So why then, do we often view being like Martha so negatively?

Heart Motives

In the New Testament, Jesus often emphasized heart motives. While our actions matter, the “why” behind what we do or don’t do is important. Martha’s actions while serving Jesus and His disciples were necessary and no doubt appreciated by her hungry guests. And Jesus didn’t tell Martha that she was doing the wrong things. He said she was “worried and distracted.” Maybe her guests arrived at a bad time, and her mind was distracted with all the other things on her list. Maybe she was striving for perfection and that was preventing her from taking time to sit and enjoy her guest of honor. Have you been there? I certainly have. I find that my self-induced anxiety while entertaining guests is often caused by my desire to impress rather than serve from love. 

Glorifying God with our Strengths

Operating outside of our strengths can be stressful and distracting, but operating in our strengths with the wrong motives can be too. When we use our strengths without love, we run the risk of being distracted by comparison, pride, frustration, a critical spirit, perfectionism, and a lot of other ugliness that takes our focus off of the Lord. I wonder if that is where Martha found herself that day. Truthfully, that is where I find myself many days. God has been revealing some ugly heart motives that potentially taint my credibility as a Christ follower in certain areas of my life. Ouch! We’ve all fallen short of the glory of God. Praise God for His love and patience towards us. I bet that there were many occasions when Martha used her strengths with the right heart motives. Both sisters played a beautiful part in Jesus’ story, and both possessed important God-given strengths. Let us not define Martha by her actions on a bad day. May she serve as a gentle reminder for us to check our heart motives as we live our lives, and use our strengths for the glory of God. May you always walk in God’s strength and love, sister!

Self Check

What are your God-given strengths, and how do you feel God is asking you to use them for His glory this season? Are there any ugly heart motives that are distracting you from living this out in love? 

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