Martha (10/15/2025)

I am blessed to have a Martha in my life. She’s my husband’s sister. I guess one could say she was a wedding gift, of sorts. When I say I am blessed by her, I am referring to her unmatched sense of hospitality and her persistent joy. I wish I could put a Martha in everyone’s life.

Martha has a way of making others feel welcomed and important. If you enter her home as a guest, there will be food and drink involved. She will sit with you, she will talk with you, and you will feel genuinely received. And the whole while you are in her presence, you will feel buoyed by her joy. Anyone who does not needs to have their pulse checked.

I’ve always been amazed by the number of people who drop by Martha’s for social time. But then again, when I think about it and when I watch her interactions with others, I understand her attraction. When one is with Martha, one feels seen, one feels like one matters, one feels welcome, one feels at home with her and with self. Now that is a gift, especially in this world today.

And she’s contagious. Yep, time with her makes me want to be more hospitable, more welcoming of others, more joyful. And I know that the LORD must smile when He thinks of her, too, because she is bringing His love into the lives of others without sermons. She is doing it one kindness, one conversation at a time, no scolding involved. She is doing it through example.  

Do you have a Martha in your life, someone who has a habit of bringing the best out of people simply through her affirmation of the good she sees in them? Do you have a Martha who makes others feel welcome? Do you have a Martha whose laughter is so contagious one would travel miles to hear it? Could you be a Martha?

As we journey in this life, day in and day out, let us be willing to open our minds, our hearts, and our homes to others. Let us be hospitable, welcoming others in and joyfully celebrating their presence. In this era when so many feel invisible and hungry for relationship, let us be the LORD’s instruments in the moment.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.