A Soul Satisfied
by Drenda Keesee
How many of you had a mother who would complain anytime she found out that company was coming over and her house wasn’t clean?
I have seen so many women lose out on opportunities to show hospitality because they were too busy focusing on the imperfections around them.
Think about Martha and Mary, two sisters with two very different attitudes. When Jesus came into Martha’s home, she left Jesus to take care of all the preparations—which we assume meant cooking and cleaning—but Mary sat at the feet of Jesus, listening to Him. When Martha saw this, she complained to Jesus because she was the only one doing the work. Jesus replied, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42, NIV).
Do not lose out on today’s joy by getting overwhelmed by today’s tasks!
Jesus does not love you any less if you have dirty dishes in the sink. He wants you to know…
…how to discern the proper time for earthly work and the proper time for coming into His presence. Mary knew this, but Martha did not.
Also, notice the heart of Mary versus the heart of Martha. Mary is quiet, sitting at the feet of Jesus as a child sits in front of their teacher, but Martha has a spirit of discontent and resentment. When your concern with perfecting your outer environment overpowers your concern with perfecting your inner heart, you fall into the same trap Martha did.
A clean house is always nice, but a soul satisfied is beyond measure.
Sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to His Word. When Martha welcomed Jesus into her house, she chose to let outer imperfections steal her opportunity for spiritual growth. Every time you have a guest into your house, you have an opportunity to show them Christ’s love. Hebrews 13:2 reminds us “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”
Let the dishes sit in the sink, let the dust bunnies gather in the corners, and focus on cleaning up your attitude. Houses get dirty, laundry builds up, and your kids will inevitably find chocolate and have it all over their faces the moment company arrives.
Do your best and give God the rest.
Your judgment of yourself is the only thing holding you back. If your company wants to judge you, let them, and show them love anyway. In doing that, you are truly doing what Christ called you to do!
~Drenda
ps…Are you looking for a good church? Be sure and listen on Saturday evening or catch the 3 services on Sunday for Faith Life Church!
Drenda Keesee’s contagious zeal and humorous personal experiences help make her ministry of spiritual, emotional, and relational wholeness one that will bless your life and spark a new fire in your spirit.
A wife of over 30 years and a mother of five children, Drenda has ministered at churches, seminars, and conferences, and through the mediums of television and radio, for more than 20 years.
Her books, The New Vintage Family, Better Than You Think, and She Gets It are available wherever books are sold. In these heartfelt books, Drenda shares her personal journey and the life lessons that have brought her to where she is today, as well as practical answers that all people need to live a joyful life.
Drenda and her husband Gary founded Faith Life Now, a ministry designed to spread the message of freedom in the areas of finances, faith, marriage, and family. Tune in for their weekly messages here. Faith Life Now hosts conferences worldwide and sponsors both Fixing the Money Thing, which Drenda co-hosts with her husband Gary and Drenda.
Through their own life experiences, the Keesee’s have found the principles from God’s Word to be powerful and effective. At one point, Drenda was a young, suicidal feminist with no hope of ever being “good enough” for her own standards of perfection. She never wanted the “inconvenience” of a husband or children, and she was on her own path to success. But the stress of trying to achieve perfection and perform for love left her broken and used. She had success, but it was nothing compared to the pain and loneliness it had also brought.
That’s when God got a hold of her heart. It was there—at her lowest point—that she found the One who accepted and loved her, faults and all. Since that transformation, Drenda has had a passion to reach women who find themselves where she once was.
She married Gary after attending college, and there she found herself in a personal boot camp of sorts. She says, “I cried and told God, ‘I can do anything but be a wife and mother.’” She committed to learning how to do it God’s way. Through the many years of raising their children and struggling to make ends meet, Drenda learned from their mistakes. “I didn’t know how to be a wife and mother, but God saved our marriage, taught us how to parent our children for success, showed us how to have financial success, and then the irony of all ironies, He called us to ministry.” It’s truly because of these life experiences that Drenda can now share so many insightful principles for people who are now going through the same struggles.
