Martha, Martha

Ivonne J. Hernandez shares one thing that helps her regain her peace.

When I started homeschooling about 20 years ago, I read all the books I could get on organizing my day to accomplish everything I needed to do. I had a newborn baby, a kindergartener, and a fourth grader to teach while my husband traveled for work during the week. I knew it would be challenging, but I thought that once I found the perfect chore chart, school planner, meal planner, and schedule, we would all jump into a perfect routine, and eventually, things would run smoothly.

Spoiler alert … I was wrong. As soon as we found a routine that "worked" for us, life would throw a curve ball, and we would need to adjust. Like the Maps app on my phone, I would need to "recalculate" our route every time there was an accident on the road.

"Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things." (Luke 10:41b)

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We, like Martha, become worried and anxious about many things as we struggle to live a balanced life. It seems like we are constantly being pulled by conflicting needs. We struggle to balance the needs of our spirit and the needs of our body, the need for solitude and the need for community, the need to contemplate and the command to serve. All these are good things, but as we struggle to root out our vices with virtue, to battle selfishness with love for others, our attention moves away from Jesus and towards our failings, and we grow anxious.

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When life throws a curve ball and I find myself disoriented, I try to remember that God is in control. #catholicmom

Can you hear the sweet and tender voice of Jesus speaking to one He loves dearly? "Martha, Martha ..." I imagine these words were enough to calm her heart and re-focus her attention on Him whom she served.

When life throws a curve ball and I find myself disoriented, I try to remember that God is in control. He has a plan for me and has already recalculated the best route. I close my eyes and listen to Jesus addressing these words to me, saying my name twice, and my anxieties and worries melt away. "Martha, Martha ... "