Who Are You Trying To Impress Anyway?

 I am fully aware at this point in my life that God enjoys using the children He’s sovereignly blessed us with to bring me to humility whenever I need a reminder.  I must expect by now that I won’t be riding any high horse for very long before God allows one of my kids to say or do something that convicts me of my nasty sin of pride.  Many times I elevate “MY” expectations over God’s expectations, which somehow never seems to work out in my favor.  Once such instance where my priorities were out of whack occurred this last weekend as we were getting ready for lots of company to arrive at our home.  

I’ve always enjoyed opportunities to extend hospitality to others and this past weekend we were looking forward to having my husband’s family come to stay at our new home.  They are very gracious and thankful house guests who certainly don’t expect the luxurious accommodations of the Ritz Carlton Hotel when they come, but I was dead set on getting everything accomplished that “I” thought needed to be done before they arrived.  Shortly before their arrival, I was still frantically attempting to get every detail taken care of so that everything would be “perfect”.  Our 17 year old daughter Elizabeth and I hurried out to quickly run some last minute errands in town.  She listened as I continuously muttered little prayers out loud as I drove saying, “Lord, PLEASE let me get that deck chair painted before they get here and PLEASE let us find a vacuum cleaner to buy so we can get home and vacuum before time runs out.”  Elizabeth definitely sensed my anxiety at the realization that I may not get everything completed on my “to do” list in time.  She tried to comfort my fears several times by telling me not to worry about it.  Seeing that her attempts to bring me to repentance of my sin of anxiety and fear were in vain, my daughter wisely asked me one simple question, “Mom, who are you trying to impress anyway?”  This may not sound like a profound question to anyone else besides me, but God used those words she spoke to hit me like a ton of bricks!  After all, who did I think I was and who was I trying to impress with all the things I wanted to accomplish anyway?  Were my efforts all an attempt to give glory to my God or was it all done in vainglory to exalt myself?
Once again as numerous times before, I was faced with my ugly sin of pride!  All of my personal perfectionistic expectations didn’t mean a thing to my husband’s family, but most importantly, they didn’t mean a thing to God.  This whole situation reminded me of the account of Mary and Martha in the Bible.  Jesus had come to town and was invited over to the home of his good friends Lazarus and his two sisters Mary and Martha.  Apparently Martha was very hospitable, having the best of intentions and wanted everything perfect for Jesus, and who wouldn’t?!  But she was distracted by so much ‘serving’ that she became slightly annoyed by her sister Mary’s devotion to simply sit at Jesus’ feet.  Martha was so preoccupied with the busy tasks she wanted to accomplish in the kitchen that she couldn’t see the most important aspect of extending hospitality.  In Luke 10:39-42 we witness the interaction between Jesus and Martha as it seems she is complaining and seeking sympathy from Him as her sister wasn’t helping her in the kitchen.  (Vs. 39-42)  Martha pleads, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?  Therefore tell her to help me.  And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.  But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part which will not be taken from her”.  Jesus is lovingly showing Martha that she does not need to worry, fear or be troubled about all of those little details she thought she needed to accomplish for His visit, but that the most important priority she could have was to lovingly minister to Jesus by spending time with Him and be ministered by Him in return.  Mary wasn’t being lazy as implied by her sister Martha.  I’m sure she had been helping her to prepare for Jesus’ visit before He arrived, but her priority was to show her dedication to Him by humbly sitting at his feet and soaking in His teachings.  I must admit that I naturally tend to gravitate toward having Martha’s priorities by being wrapped up in the serving and accomplishing tasks part of having company instead of taking the time to sit and fellowship with the guests in my home like I should.
My daughter’s convicting words and the Holy’s Spirit prompting me to recall the account of Mary and Martha really made me think.  The entire source of my anxiety while preparing for our company was based on my selfish priorities not matching up with God’s priorities for me.  Don’t get me wrong, this is not a clean heart versus clean house sort of battle.  A clean home, a warm, inviting atmosphere, good food, and fresh sheets and towels are very important to provide when showing hospitality to others.  I believe meeting all of these physical needs of others is a testimony for Christ and it demonstrates His love.  My problem always comes when I get caught up in the unnecessary expectations I place on myself and others in trying to do things that are not God’s will for me to accomplish at that time.
No one cares if I get the chairs on the deck painted!  No one cares if all of our walls are perfectly painted with no scuffs!  No one cares if all of the cans and Tupperware in the kitchen pantry are completely organized!  There’s certainly nothing wrong with having those things done, but if I’m more concerned about those superficial tasks than I am humbly bowing to God’s “to do” list for me, I am elevating my will above His and that ALWAYS means trouble!  We’re told in Philippians 2:5, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus”.  It’s imperative for us to keep our attitudes, actions and priorities constantly in check with Christ’s.  If we have the mind of Christ we’ll be focused more on praying for our company, encouraging them and looking for ways to meet their needs during their visit instead of making sure all the windows are smudge free. 

 Do you struggle like I have at times with having the wrong priorities in this area?  If so, I hope you will remember this blog post the next time you’re preparing to have company. Instead of spending time on all of the extra superficial tasks that your guests may never notice, I challenge you to adjust your priorities to meet Christ’s.  I guarantee without a doubt that this will bring FAR more honor, glory and praise to our God than any nicely painted deck chair ever could.