Am I a Mary or a Martha

'Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to what he was saying.

But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me."

But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her" (Luke 10:38-42).

As a mom I often wonder which role I play: Martha or Mary. Am I busy, busy, busy, keeping the house, preparing the meals? Or am I Mary, who takes the time to stop and listen?

As a child I felt sorry for Martha. She was running around, doing all the work alone, while her lazy sister played nice to Jesus. And when she asked Jesus to back her up, he instead told her that Mary chose 'the better part'.

Aw shucks! I always thought hard work paid off, not sitting around.

But I guess the lesson is about getting your priorities right. That taking time to listen to people is more important than taking care that your house is clean. Certainly, when I visit my in-laws, who are always rushing around getting me coffee or something, I wish they would just sit down and talk to me!

As a mom I ususally try to be Martha and Mary all at once. While I cook and clean I'm available for the kids to tell their stories, to kiss their scrapes and generally I'm just 'there'.

Which one are you?
Are you a Martha or a Mary?