Chapter 8 - Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World

Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by Joanna Weaver. Subtitle "Finding Intimacy with God in the Busyness of Life"
This is a non required book review for me. I just love this book and want to share it with everyone! Am loving it even more the second time I'm reading it! I faciliated this study with a group of mostly 20 somethings, single, childless ladies in the spring, and now with a group of moms of preschoolers, and its amazing the difference in conversations, yet the similarities of us all wanting to change our hearts. I thought to give an accurate review of this book, I would just quote parts of chapter 8. It will speak for itself.

Weaver reminds us of John 11, the story of Lazarus' death and resurrection, from Martha's point of view.
Some of the lessons we can learn from this story: (Are you ready? Buckle up)
1. "God's will does not always proceed in a straight line."
"One reason for this is that God is weaving together a greater glory than just my own... It is God's purposes, not mine, that must prevail. He is concerned not only with the individual need, but with the corporate need as well. God wraps up my good with your good and the good of both of us with the good of others. The plot lines of our individual stories weave together to form his master plan. Nothing is wasted. Nothing is left out." pg 120
2. "God's love sometimes tarries for our good and his glory."
"While we may never fully understand why God's love sometimes lingers, we can rest assured that God's love is always at work. He may not move according to our schedule, but he is right on time for what is best. And he has our ultimate good forever in mind." pg 124
3. "God's ways are not our ways, but his character is still dependable."
"If you are struggling to hang on in the midst of your difficult circumstances, let me remind you to go back to what you know about God. Open the Bible and find scriptures to cling to- scriptures that reveal the heart and faithfulness of God. Remind yourself that God is your strength. That he is your source of comfort. That he won't let you fall. That he loves you passionately and only wants the best for you." pgs 124,125
4. "God's plan is released when we believe and obey."
"...it means that God's story, in a sense, is interactive. We are an integral part of the writing process. Our choices play a part in the unfolding of the plot." pg 130"Obey God in the thing He shows you, and instantly the next thing is opened up...God will never reveal more truth about himself until you have obeyed what you know already." pg 147 (Oswald Chambers)
5."The 'end' is never the end; it is only the beginning." (THIS IS THE BIG ONE FOR ME)
"When Jesus came late to Bethany, his lateness was an act of love. A gift of perspective. A foreshadowing meant as a mercy, not only for Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, but for his disciples and for you and me. Jesus knew we would struggle with the concept of resurrection. He knew we would have doubts when his tomb turned up empty... So the Author of our faith, our great storytelling God, prefaced his Son's death with an act that would foreshadow the resurrection. When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, he put to death Satan's lie that the end is the end." pg 132 (That gives me chills every time!)

There is so much more in this chapter, and chapter 3 is my other favorite chapter. I don't like it because its about not worrying. But its an amazing chapter. I wish this book was required reading for all women. It is chocked full of God's truth that can be life changing if you let it be.