Is it ‘bad’ to be a ‘Martha’? Does being a ‘Martha’ mean you are obsessed with cleanliness over godliness?

I can be a bit of a ‘Martha’ in that I gravitate towards what needs to be done. Mess and clutter make me stressed and anxious, and one reason why I can’t watch those hoarder shows on TV; they give me cold sweats. I find my depression and anxiety is worse the more clutter I’m surrounded by. Decluttering is one of my hobbies and I did consider starting a business at one stage, helping other people to have one almighty throw out, but I could see myself being a hoarder’s worst nightmare (having said that, I don’t care what your house looks like; please still invite me over for dinner). My house is nowhere near as clean and tidy as I would like, and I’ve learned to live with that. But I still have minimalist tendencies. I’d be quite happy in a caravan with few earthly possessions. I’m not a cook, like Martha, but I often felt guilty for not having a chaotic house full of people all the time. I tend to jump up in the mornings (once I’ve had my coffee) and start thinking of my to-do list, rather than God’s to-do list, which I’m sure involves sitting at His feet first.

It’s an object that’s out of place. 

My beautiful, Arab coffee ‘thermos’. It has an elegant gold spout and silver body etched with leaves. It looks like it belongs to a Saudi prince. But it’s actually just plastic and sold in cheap homeware shops. Something like it is used in most Arab lounge rooms throughout the Middle East during formal occasions such as Eid (religious holidays), funerals or weddings. Guests are honoured on arrival with a shot-sized serving of bitter, black coffee, usually cardamon-flavoured. 

But here it sits. This gold thermos looking out of place on my wobbly, dusty, laminated table under a noisy fan. Elegantly sitting between scattered lab request forms, hand gel, paediatric growth charts and my stethoscope. Ready to serve patients who come to see me at the clinic. 

I am playing offense. It is an experiment.

There they were on our front doorstep, just like her text message said they would be. A box of donuts. There were six of them. Krispy Kremes in different flavours—and it was lunchtime. At that moment I thanked the Lord for my mother-in-law, that she loves others through gift giving, and that this particular gift arrived when it did: Husband away for the week, house in a state, kids fighting. 

The other thing that keeps moving with me, regardless of where I am moving to or from, or the type and size of my space, is my sinful heart, full of selfishness, pride, comparison, envy, discontent, and greed. For me, these are part and parcel of homemaking. As the years go on I have grown more alert for these sins in my heart and more willing to deal with them, but it is a battle.